Grayscale
by ShiningInsanity2000
Summary: Bill Cipher does not fall in love. That just isn't in his job description. Bill is a con man, a gambler, if you will. He makes bets and deals with no regard for anyone but himself. It's all a part of the game for him. And if anyone gets hurt... Well, that's not his problem. But maybe his decisions have finally come back to bite him. (BillDip AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **(Bill)**

"Look over there," the teenage boy in a grey sports jacket said, pointing to my left. I glanced over, uninterested, to see a tall boy with dark green eyes and shaggy black hair leaning over the table Mabel Pines was sitting at. She looked up from talking with her friends to beam at him, practically exuding friendliness. I shrugged. "What about her?" I questioned, taking a sip of my Pitt Cola. The grinning teen rolled his eyes, pointing once again in the other corner of the cafeteria. "That's what," he responded snidely, flicking my shoulder. I looked over, still not quite following his logic. Then I smirked, realizing what he was getting at.

Mabel's brother had stood up from where he'd been sitting next to Pacifica. He strode over to the table Mabel and the unidentified male were chatting, then stopped right beside him. The boy with black hair spun around to face him, scowling. I was pretty sure his name was Derek, or something. It didn't really matter, though, as Dipper had only needed to say a few words, and Derek's eyes widened. He then scurried off, face flushed of any color. I snickered, watching Dipper go back and forth with an amused Mabel for a moment before turning and heading back towards his own table.

He sat down in his seat and picked up the book he'd left sitting there. Pacifica said something, which made the brunette laugh good-naturedly, and she went right back to leaning over his shoulder and talking as he read whatever was in his hands. I turned to my friends, somewhat interested. "What's that about?" I asked, leaning my head on my hand. The teen in the gray jacket, Henry, grinned happily, as if he'd been waiting for me to ask. "How oblivious can you get, Bill? You've lived here your entire life and you've never heard of the Pines challenge?" he countered, an eyebrow cocked upwards quizzically.

I shrugged. "Ya' got me. What's that?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Henry waved a hand, delighted that I wanted to know. "Everyone wants a piece of Mabel, but you have to get through her stick-in-the-mud brother first," he explained, tilting his head towards the cute girl with a purple kitten sweater on. "She's really nothing special, in all honesty. What makes it really fun is the cred you get from everyone in the school once it spreads around."

I hummed in understanding, watching Mabel as she placed sparkly stickers all over her shorter friend, Candy's, face. "I see. And people really enjoy that? It seems to me that everyone that tries fails," I said, taking another swig of my soda.

Henry nodded. "That's because her prude of a brother shoots down every guy that comes near her. If it weren't for him, it'd probably be easy to get her on her knees, if you know what I mean," he went on with a lopsided sneer.

I was very intrigued at that point. I turned yet again to look at Dipper, who had taken his eyes off of the book he was reading to speak with Pacifica. "Pretty boring guy, isn't he?" I asked, glancing at my friend across the table.

Henry nodded, a devious look in his eyes. "You see, the only reason anyone even gives a damn what he says is because he's part of the challenge. And of course, he's really tight with Northwest. On his own, though... he's nothing. Just another geek with a creepy obsession with ghosts and spookums," he said, sniggering at the end. "But because of Mabel, we've come up with another challenge. Specifically for you, actually."

I leaned forward, both hands used to hold my head up. "And what would that be?" I asked.

"Well, we all know that without Northwest backing him up all the time, he would've already gotten his teeth kicked in for walking around acting all high and mighty the way he does. So..." Henry paused dramatically, pointing his index finger towards me. "I want to make a bet with you. I bet even you can't get him to let down his guard."

I shrugged. "So basically you want me to get on his good side so you can pounce on Mabel," I said matter-of-factly. Henry nodded slyly. "Alright. What's in it for me?" I questioned, eyebrow raised.

Henry's eyes glittered mischeviously. "Not so fast, Bill. I have a few rules for you to follow," he went on, shaking his mostly empty can of soda. The tan-skinned teen beside him laughed condescendingly. Something told me I knew where this was going, and frankly, I didn't really care. "I don't want you to just get on the kid's good side. You have to earn his unconditional trust. No short cuts, man. Hell, you might as well make him fall in love with you," he went on, snorting at the effort it took not to laugh. Bingo, I thought to myself. Something told me that's where this was headed. After all, it wasn't that long ago I had come to realize I had zero interest in girls, and like the great friend Henry was, he took any chance he was given to rub it in my face.

Little did he know, I was up for the challenge. "Hundred bucks and you're on," I agreed, absentmindedly tearing the pop tab off of my Pitt Cola can. Henry seemed taken aback for a second, but soon recovered. "Pfft, are you kidding? I'm rich. That's chump change. If you can pull off something like that, I'll give you a thousand," he replied snarkily, holding out a hand. I nodded, reaching out to take it. "Deal," I said, finalizing the conditions of our bet. I then brought my hand back wordlessly, dropping the tab inside my empty can and sitting it on Henry's tray. I stood up, giving him a salute before walking off towards Dipper's table.

It seemed that Pacifica had left for a moment, so I took that chance to slide into the spot next to him. Dipper didn't look up from the book he was reading, which I then noticed was some sort of mystery novel. "That seat's taken," he said coldly, turning the page. I brought a hand up to my chest, feigning a hurt expression. "Geez, someone's a bit moody," I responded, scooting closer to look over his shoulder. Dipper slammed the book shut, sitting it down on the table in front of him. My eyes widened, surprised by the loud noise and the quick movement. I felt eyes from people at tables nearby come to rest on us, but I was unfazed.

Dipper turned his head towards me, bright sea foam green eyes filled to the brim with hostility as he glowered at me. "Alright, let's get this out of the way. You're either here to A) ridicule me on my interests and choices of literature, or B) attempt to get my permission to fuck my sister. And based on the fact that you and your airhead friends over there have been staring between Mabel and I for the past ten minutes, I'd say it's the latter. So, if that's what you're here for, then the answer is no and you are free to leave. If I'm wrong, which I doubt considering the stunned look on your face, then you should just tell me what you're up to now and quit beating around the bush. I don't have time for people like you," he snarled, crossing his arms and shooting me a glare.

Boy... If looks could kill.

I forced myself to keep calm, despite the slight nervousness that had crept up on me during his little speech. "Damn, Pine Tree. I'm wounded, really I am. I mean, good-looking, quick-witted, observant, and sharp tongued. If it weren't for the quiet, overprotective older brother thing you've got going on, I'll bet you'd have girls just knocking on your doors," I pointed out, sliding an arm over his shoulders. Dipper shrugged me off, chuckling humorlessly. "Actually, Mabel's older than me," he replied, eyebrows furrowed. "And don't call me that." There was venom in his voice.

I grit my teeth. This kid was really difficult to get past, wasn't he? I guess that's why Henry had been so quick to wager a thousand dollars on my ability to befriend him. Oh, well. People never resisted my charms for long. "Oh yeah? How much older is she?" I asked, settling for small talk to get past his barriers. Dipper shrugged, looking half surprised I didn't know. Were they really that big a deal to everyone that it was such a shock I didn't know? "Like, five minutes. We're twins," he said almost questioningly, as if it were obvious. "You know, most guys know these things when they walk up to me trying to impress Mabel. You need to bring a lot more to the table if you want even a shot of getting by me," Dipper went on, eyes piercing into my own like daggers.

God, those eyes. It's like he's trying to look through me or something... I thought, fidgeting somewhat. "Well, actually, I'm not after Mabel," I said truthfully, but he didn't seem to believe me. He just snorted, as if it were blasphemous to be talked to by someone without ulterior motives. And I mean, I had mine, but it still stung a bit. "I have no interest in women. But someone else has caught my eye," I went on in a suave tone, sliding a hand towards him. Dipper paid my advances no mind, however, and stood up from where he'd been sitting. He picked up his book and stepped away from the table. I looked back where he was headed to see that Pacifica was behind me, waiting for me to move so she'd have her spot back.

Dipper shoved his book into the backpack hanging from his shoulder and zipped it back up. "Nice try, man, but I'm not naive," he said blandly, placing a hand on the blonde's wrist. "You wanna' wander the halls for a bit? The bell's going to ring soon anyway," he went on, beaming as soon as his gaze turned towards Pacifica. I immediately realized the only way to get to Dipper would be to go through his sister or Pacifica, who smiled and nodded at his offer. The both of them walked off, leaving me to consider my options. Give up and take Henry's teasing, or be stubborn and persistent.

It was an obvious choice.

Sitting at my desk, I scribbled away on the paper in front of me. I was probably supposed to be taking notes, but this was more important. I glanced over at the opposite corner of the classroom, where Dipper was sitting with a pen in hand, scrawling down everything the teacher said. Pacifica sat directly behind him, clearly bored out of her mind as she toyed carelessly with his hair. At first glance, anyone would assume they were dating, but I had learned from Henry that they were just really close. Like, unnaturally close.

"Mr. Cipher, that corner of the room must be very interesting for you to be staring so intently at it. But I'd like to point out that's not where your eyes should be," the history teacher said in annoyance, waving a hand in front of me. I snapped out of my trance, looking up at her in shock. "You haven't even written the notes down!" she exclaimed, hands on her hips. I tried to pull off my best innocent smile, but hung my head when her glare didn't let up. "Sorry..." I muttered, picking up my pencil to erase the ramblings I had written down on the page. Thankfully she hadn't taken the time to read them.

She sighed, turning around and striding back to the blackboard, moving forward with the lesson. I ignored the stares from everyone in the room, including Dipper, as I forced myself to focus on what was being taught. A few moments passed and I couldn't resist glancing over at him. Electric blue met deep evergreen as our eyes locked with one another. Dipper raised an eyebrow questioningly, as if I was some sort of mystery for him to solve. Something told me getting him of all people to like me would be like asking a cat to enjoy swimming. Difficult, to say the least. But there was something interesting about him, so I decided I'd continue forward with my plan to be stubborn. Who knew, maybe I could get a little bit more out of this than just a some of Henry's money.

Dipper looked away, bringing his attention back where it belonged and writing down whatever had just been said. I looked back up at our teacher as well. "We'll be starting a new project tomorrow, and I'll be letting you pick partners," she said, passing a paper to everyone in the class. I smirked, taking mine without a word. I looked down at it, eyes skimming over the words. "I won't assign homework for the next month, but I expect everyone to take this very seriously. If you decide to spend this class period goofing off instead of doing your work, then I will give you extra," she said sternly, taking her place at the front of the room once more.

Grinning, I cast a glance towards Dipper. Perfect, I thought, forging a plan to win him over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **(Dipper)**

I placed any necessary papers and books I would need in my backpack. I stood up, swinging the bag over my shoulder. "You free to come over for a while? Stan won't mind," I offered to Pacifica, who was still gathering her things together. She looked up from what she was doing, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, can't. My stupid parents are making me take ballet lessons. They said it'll teach me to be more lady-like, or whatever," she responded with an annoyed roll of her eyes. I chuckled, shifting the strap weighing down my shoulder so it didn't dig into me so much.

"That's too bad. Well, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then," I said, backing into the doorway. She just gave a slight wave, returning to the clutter of papers and writing utensils her desk had become. I spun around to head out the door and took off through the hallway. I turned the corner to make my way outside. Mabel was already standing on the front step of the school building, saying her goodbye to her friends. "Hey, bro-bro," she greeted cheerfully as I approached her. "Hey," I responded, and the both of us began our walk home.

I yawned, tired from the long day I had been having. "You know, you probably wouldn't be so exhausted if you didn't keep yourself up all night with those spooky books of yours," Mabel pointed out, poking me on the shoulder playfully. I shook my head. "Nah. I'm fine. Anything interesting happen for you today?" I asked casually, passing the time. Mabel perked up, enthusiastically giving me every detail of her day. "And then Candy started speaking her crazy alien language, and me and Grenda were like, 'wooaaah'!" she explained with a giggle, eyes twinkling like the glitter on her clothes. I laughed, amused by her adorable childishness.

"What about you?" she asked, nudging my arm. I blinked. "Hmm?" I hummed questioningly, not quite getting the look of mischief in her large green eyes, identical to my own. She shoved me jokingly, grinning like a maniac. I stumbled to the side a bit, but caught myself and kept walking. When I looked at her, I noticed that she had an expectant look on her face. She poked me in the side repeatedly, bouncing excitedly. "Come on, Dip! I saw that guy put his arm around you!" she exclaimed, flailing her arms like one of those inflatable tube people.

I stared incredulously at her for a few moments. Then, all at once, I burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. It took a while for me to calm myself down at that. Once my laughing had died some, I realized Mabel still wanted to know. "Him?! I don't even know what his issue was. He was just some guy," I explained with a smirk, finding her assumption hilarious. Still, Mabel had a disbelieving expression on her face. I didn't find that funny, however. "I'm not gay, Mabel. I have zero interest in him or any other guy," I went on, absolutely serious.

Mabel just shrugged. "I don't see why not. Boys are great!" she replied with a starstruck look in her eyes. She placed a hand on her chin thoughtfully. "But girls have their benefits, too. With their pretty hair and sparkly outfits. But boys have nice things, too. Like when they have those really hot voices," she went on, as if pondering her sexuality. I scoffed, a hand on the bridge of my nose. "Maybe you have some things to sort out about yourself, but I don't," I responded in exasperation, shoving both of my hands into the pockets of the navy blue hoodie I had on.

Mabel just waved a hand passively, as if my argument had no legs to stand on. "Nope. I have nothing to figure out. I think that if you love someone, then you should let the world know! I think it's silly to feel bad about loving someone, and I don't think it really matters whether you're a boy, girl, other; who cares?" she said, stepping in front of me to jump on a small pile of golden leaves. Odd. Summer wasn't even quite over yet and the leaves were already beginning to fall off the trees. I stopped walking and allowed her to do whatever with the dead foliage. I hummed, somewhat able to understand her logic. Still.. "Other?" I questioned skeptically. Mabel nodded, crunching the leaves beneath her feet. "Yeah, other. You know, like cute vampires and werewolves!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.

I laughed, stepping around her to continue onwards. "Those are just fairytales, Mabel. They don't exist," I pointed out, walking backwards to keep my eyes on her as she caught up. She looked somewhat puzzled. "Then why do you spend all day and night locked up in your room reading about them?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head. I thought about her words for a few seconds. "You mean ghosts and spirits and stuff? That's different. At least there's always some sort of rational explanation for why they exist. I don't think there's any way for those kinds of things to exist," I responded, head in the clouds as I thought it over.

"Helloooo? Earth to Dipper!" I heard Mabel say, trying to catch my attention. I snapped out of my mind to look at her. "Geez.. Focus, bro. And anyway, what about demons and scary things like that? If you believe in ghosts, does that mean you believe in them, too?" she asked curiously, swinging her arms back and forth as she walked. I pondered the question, taking into consideration all I knew about those kinds of things. "Yeah, I guess. It's not just supernatural stuff either. I like-" Mabel rolled her eyes, opening and closing her hand in a yapping motion.

I scoffed, glaring impatiently at her. "Yeah yeah. Mysteries and spooky things. I got it. You're just a guy with too much time on your hands and an obsession to fill the space with, right?" she teased, waiting for my inevitable reaction with a snicker. "Hey!" I shouted, offended. Mabel stuck out her tongue, darting off. Of course, I ran after her. "I'm obsessed?! You go boy crazy over everyone. If it weren't for me, I'm pretty sure most of the guys in our grade would've taken you for a spin already!" I hissed, probably taking the dispute a little far. Mabel stopped immediately, twisting around to face me. She gave me her best sad puppy face, pointing outwards and pressing a finger against my chest.

"That is playing dirty, Dip! I can't help that I have an oversized heart and enough charisma to go around!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms into the air. I shook my head. "Yeah, I'll really bet it's your charisma they're after," I replied, pulling the strap on my shoulder up some. Mabel puffed out a cheek in her usual pouty way, crossing her arms. "Maybe it is," she huffed, scowling at the ground, which her eyes were focused on. "Or maybe you're just a bucket of trust issues." I was taken aback some, but wasn't really angry. I was just a bit surprised. Am I not trusting enough? I asked myself, wondering whether or not she was right.

Well, I was really close with Mabel, but she was my sister and didn't really count as a friend. There was Pacifica, too, and she counted. I thought about it some. I supposed Wendy, Nate, and the rest of their group counted, too. But they had all graduated already and gone away, most of them to college, some leaving the state or country to explore the world. Thankfully at least Wendy had stayed close, and her dorm was only about an hour drive away. Still, I guessed Mabel was kind of right. "Do I really come off that way?" I asked, shuffling my feet. Mabel looked down, a guilty expression on her face.

She fidgeted some, a sign that she was unsure how to answer. "I mean, kinda... But I shouldn't have said that. That was pretty mean, wasn't it...?," she murmured, forcing herself to look back up at me. I was silent and allowed her to continue. "You're just always all by yourself, or you only hang around me and Pacifica. I just want you to try to be more out there. People would probably really like you once you put down the books and talked to them for a change," she went on, placing a hand on my arm. She then smiled, reverting back to her usual chipper self. "I mean, they like me, don't they? So that means they automatically have to like you too," she said matter-of-factly, both hands on her hips in a cocky pose.

I laughed, giving the idea a bit of thought. "Alright. I'll try to be more open with people, I guess," I agreed with a nod, deciding that there couldn't be any harm in trying. Mabel jumped up and down joyously, putting both of her hands on my shoulders. Her face suddenly turned serious, and I felt a chilling nervousness take over. "I am going to set you up with everyone," she warned, an evil grin tugging her lips upwards. I blinked in both shock and even a bit of fear at that, and weighed my options. Running or facing my sister's craziness head on.

I darted off towards the Mystery Shack. That was an easy decision to make. "Wait! Dipper!" she yelled, taking off after me. I didn't let up, and kept going even with her directly on my tail. "When did you get so fast?! I'm supposed to be the alpha twin!" she complained as she ran after me, holding out her hand to try and grab me. I laughed. The Shack was straight ahead. "Animals, including humans, run faster and have more stamina in dire or fearful situations," I responded, swinging open the door to the Shack and dashing inside. I ignored Stan's angry grumbling behind me as I made my way into the living room and up the stairs.

"Oh, can it with your nerdy talk, would ya'?" Mabel yelled good-naturedly, following me into the attic. I sneered, so close to my room, where I could escape from from her. Although I think I got a little too cocky and slowed down a bit. Not much, but just enough to where Mabel could reach out a hand and yank me towards her by the hood of my sweatshirt. I staggered backwards in surprise, a little bit stunned. She quite literally leapt on me, knocking me down onto the wooden floor. "I got you!" she exclaimed triumphantly, pinning my shoulders to the floor. I could literally reach out a hand and touch my door.

So close... I grumbled inwardly.

"Mabel, get off!" I demanded, twisting around and forcing her to the side. Laughing merrily, she attempted to grab at both of my arms to try her luck with doing it again. "I got you! I got you!" she chanted, poking and prodding at my sides and shoulders teasingly. I huffed, crossing my arms and waiting for her to be finished. She giggled, shoving me lightly. "Are you done yet?" I inquired, unamused. Mabel hummed joyfully, pulling my cap off of my head. On instinct, I reached out to take it back, but she had already moved out of my reach. "Not until you give me permission to set you up on dates whenever I want!" she conditioned, placing my hat on top of her own head.

I sighed, reaching out my hand. "Since when do you need permission?" I muttered, but that seemed to be enough for her. "I'll take that as a yes," she replied, tugging it back off and tossing it at me. I caught it with ease, placing it back over my messy hair as she stood up. I picked up my backpack, which had been thrown carelessly to the floor when Mabel tackled me. "Yeah, whatever," I mumbled. She grinned, outstretching a hand for me to take. I did without complaint, allowing her to help me back onto my feet.

"I hope you know this means I'm going to make you at least try to date whoever I think is a good match," Mabel warned, a sly expression on her face. "You don't get a choice in the matter." I rolled my eyes. There was always a loophole with Mabel. She'd let it go if I bought her a pretty enough cupcake. Or a big enough can of sprinkles. Either way, this would be easy for me to avoid if I just played my cards right. I was sure of it.

I probably should've been more worried.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

(Bill)

Staring directly forward at the teacher, I waited patiently for her to announce our assignment. I wore a smug smirk on my face, which Dipper had caught on to earlier that day, as he'd been eyeing me suspiciously since I sat down. I stifled a chuckle. Someone's a little on edge, huh? I mentally teased, as if he could actually hear me. I didn't glance over, but I could feel the unwavering gaze of the other male, who was practically radiating disdain towards me. "I will allow you to pick your own partners this time. If I believe you are unable to handle it, I will assign partners for the rest of the year," the teacher warned, piercing eyes boring into the faces of the troublesome students. I was of course among them.

I shrugged it off, waiting silently as she went down the list of names. Thankfully, she went in alphabetical order, so I knew my plan would work. I really should be thankful for my ridiculous name, at least this once, I mean. I leaned back in my chair, fiddling with the paper on my desk. The teacher called out, "Mr. Cipher?" I glimpsed at Dipper, whose attention was directed on his notebook at the moment, so I took the opportunity to catch him off guard. "Dipper Pines," I replied innocently, leaning my head on my hand.

There was a loud cracking noise, and my head whipped in the direction it had come from. I noticed Dipper with his forehead against his desk and the cap he typically wore had fallen to the ground, revealing the horrible case of bed head he had underneath. That wasn't what had caught my attention, and almost everyone in the class' as well. What had was the broken pencil in his hand, snapped in two. I sneered, suppressing yet another chuckle. "Got a problem there, Pine Tree?" I asked sarcastically, an inflection on the nickname. He turned his gaze towards me, flames rising in his eyes.

"Oh, I'm peachy," he snarled with a mock friendliness, grinning like a murderous psychopath with the means and intent to kill me. I probably would've been petrified of his expression had I not been subjected to horror movies from age five. Regardless, it was apparent he wasn't terribly pleased with me. "And don't. Call. Me. That," he went on with a growl, letting his broken pencil fall to his desk. There was an eerie silence all throughout the classroom. Dipper, muttering, had leaned down to pick up his hat. Pacifica was glowering at me like I was some sort of monster. The teacher was arrantly befuddled, and most of the other people in the class were either amazed or terrified of the turning point the usual quiet and studious Dipper had taken.

Our teacher cleared her throat, and the class refocused their attention on her. "Next..." she said awkwardly, continuing on down the list of names. In the end, poor Pacifica had gotten paired with Gorney, and it was obvious she was a tad bitter about it. I paid her glaring no mind however, and stood from my seat to stride towards Dipper, who was slumped in his own seat, chin resting against his desktop. "You fucking suck," he hissed, eyes darting upwards at me. I chuckled, sitting down in the seat next to him. "Whatever you say," I replied, swiping the remainder of the broken pencil lead off his desk.

The class period went by relatively quickly. I mean, it could've been a lot worse. I don't think Dipper had warmed up to me in the least bit, but at least I had come to know a bit more about him in that time. One: he's extremely impatient and easy to piss off. Or maybe I was just really good at doing so. Two: he was definitely a smart guy and he worked quickly, which was good because despite what most people would assume at first glance, I'm actually rather intelligent myself. Three: when he actually does allow me to make conversation with him, all he talks about is either Mabel, Pacifica, or those mystery novels he's always got his nose buried in. Everyone has their quirks, I supposed.

The bell rang, signalling that we could pack up and go. I grabbed my things, which really only consisted of a few pencils, a notebook with some of our planning in it, and the paper that had all the directions on it. I stuffed them all into my bag carelessly, earning a look from Dipper that said, 'If you lose those, I swear to God I'll rip your head off.' I rolled my eyes, laughing warmly. "A little bit OCD too, I see," I pointed out, leaning forward. Dipper of course backed up every inch I moved closer. He just looked back at me, suspicious and hostile, continuing our little staring contest until I finally moved away yet again.

"Don't worry about it, Pine Tree. I promise I'll keep track of it all," I swore, saluting. He didn't seem amused, and stood up from his seat to zip up his backpack and leave. I sighed. Why must he be so difficult? Well, I was sure to get by his sensors eventually, and once I did that, it'd be easy to finish the job at hand. I thought about it a moment. The job. That makes me sound like I'm gonna kill him or something, a little voice in the back of my mind chimed. I ignored it. That was such a ridiculous thought.

With a huff, I stepped into my house. I was greeted with... well, nothing. It was always eerie and quiet where I lived. I was always the only one home, no matter what time of day I was there. In all honesty, I despised the place, despite its luxuriousness. What was the point of living in such a big home when you practically lived alone anyway?

My parents are very wealthy. My father owned a rather large and successful company. I think they sold something stupid, like pens or markers. But hey, there would always be a demand for those things, so it worked out for him. At least until he finally kicked the bucket. I was young, so I didn't really remember him and his death had no lasting effect on me. After he passed away, my mother took over, doing whatever she could to suck as much money out of the populace's pockets as possible. And so she did. And because of that, she decided it would be really fun to travel the world. I refused outright, wanting to stay in Gravity Falls to finish my schooling. So we had a bit of a falling out.

She's gone now, probably drinking like an alcoholic and riding Dad's coat tails all the way around the globe. Still, it wasn't all bad. She sent money every month to pay for the house expenses, food, clothing, things like that. And there was always way too much left over at the end of each month. But of course, she didn't care. She had all the money in the world. Who would complain, right? I never spent what was left behind. I always made sure to hold onto it. At this point, I could probably pay my way through college with very little debt afterwards. It was an easy way to live, but that didn't make it any more enjoyable.

I tossed my backpack onto the couch, then proceeded up the stairs. I wondered a bit whether Dipper liked his everyday life the way it was. Well, from what I could tell, he and Mabel were extremely close and she was just a little bit unhinged. And he had mentioned his crazy uncle once or twice when I was able to get a few words out of him. As far as I could tell, he had a pretty great family. Yet he was so isolated and alone. I pondered the thought for a moment, curious as to why that was. Maybe he just didn't like people outside of his circle. Or maybe he didn't trust them for whatever reason. I plopped down on my bed, face engulfed in the blankets.

Why did it matter to me anyway? I figured it was just because of the bet. I mean, there was something interesting that I liked about him, although it was just the tiniest bit obvious that he did not like me at all. Oh well. Things would get better if I just stayed persistent, which I was very good at doing. It wasn't like he could hate me forever, right? Well, it is Dipper Pines we're talking about, sooo...

He more than definitely could.

I tried not to dwell on that too much, though, and sat up in my bed. I sighed. "I guess I should probably do my homework..." I muttered, outstretching a hand towards the door, which was on the opposite end of the room. "But it's all the way downstairs," I huffed, forcing myself upwards. I trudged down the stairs, hands in my pockets as I made my way into the abandoned living room, where my backpack lie on the couch. I didn't have much to do, just some notes to copy down for a science test later that week. Still, the worst part about school was bringing it home with me. I finished it quickly and put it away, standing up. I yawned, stretching out my back some until there was a pop.

I glanced upstairs, then over towards the front door. I supposed leaving for a while could be fun. Better than sitting around with nothing to do at home. I shrugged, heading out the door quietly, though it wasn't like I had anyone to disturb by being loud. Wow, I sound like a real pessimist, don't I? I thought about where I wanted to go for a bit. I could've gone to the diner in town. I hadn't really eaten much that day. Or I could have done something productive with my day. Eh... "The arcade it is!" I exclaimed to myself. I had plenty of money to waste, and no one to piss off by wasting it.

On my way there, I noticed a cute young girl parting with her friends, laughing merrily. I grinned. Mabel Pines. "Hey, Mabel!" I called, catching her attention. She turned towards me, curious. Recognition flashed in her big green eyes, and she smiled brightly. "Hey! You're the guy I saw trying to put the moves on my brother!" she replied cheerfully, waving at me. I chuckled, giving a slight wave back. I guess that is what I was doing, huh? I asked myself sarcastically. Mabel ran up to me from across the street, ignoring any traffic in her way. I'm not going to lie, my heart just about stopped when she nearly got hit by an average sized blue car. But she did some sort of silly looking twirl and avoided it somehow.

Imagine me having to explain that to her brother. I flinched at the thought, actually somewhat fearful he'd blame me for such an accident. Mabel darted up to me, giving off an energetic aura. "Hey you! I heard you and Dipper are partners on the dumb history project we're doing. I can't believe you pulled a stunt like that. You must be really brave," she said, talking just a little too fast. I laughed. This one was definitely the more outgoing of the two Pines twins. "I like that!" she went on, seemingly impressed. I raised an eyebrow, leaning on the wall of the building I was standing next to.

"Did Pine Tree tell you that?" I questioned slyly, smirking proudly. Mabel's face lit up when I asked. "Yep," she replied cheerfully. "Sooo, what's with the nickname?" she then asked, punching my shoulder lightly. I liked her forwardness. How could they be identical twins and be so different from one another? "Oh, I just kinda thought of it," I replied with a slight shrug. She pursed her lips, as if disbelieving, or maybe just dissatisfied with my response. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a thing for my brother," she teased, bouncing up and down where she stood.

She nudged me, grinning knowingly. I smiled back, finding her attitude infectious. And this seemed like the best way to get past Dipper's defenses. So I rolled with it. "Looks like you caught me," I cooed slyly. Mabel squealed girlishly, her hands flying upwards to be on each side of her face as she spun around, practically making a scene right in the middle of the town. She jumped up and down excitedly, her cheeks painted a bright red. I stifled a laugh, though it was extremely difficult. "I guess that means I've earned your approval?" I asked, somewhat curious just how much she'd been told about me by her brother. Because that at least meant he talked about me, which was better than nothing, I guess.

Mabel nodded her head vigorously, her eyes twinkling like gems. "Are you kidding me?! Yes! I think you two would be adorable, but Dip says you annoy him. But I annoy him all the time, and he has no choice but to love me," she said quickly, hands on her hips. I raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "I don't think this is the same situation, Shooting Star," I pointed out, rubbing the back of my neck. She just waved a hand like it was nothing.

"Pffft, sure it is! I can be very persuasive, you know!" she mused, doing a little dance. "I like the nickname, by the way." I was starting to believe Dipper wasn't related to her at all.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "So you're going to 'persuade' him to like me? I don't think that's how that works," I said, slipping my hands into my pockets. "And besides, isn't your brother straight?" Yeah, I probably should've thought about that before I made the bet.

Mabel giggled, swaying back and forth a little bit. She wasn't very good at staying still, I could tell. "Or so he says, but..." she started, a thoughtful look on her face. She flung an arm into the air, opening up her hand and letting glitter rain down from above my head. "LOVE KNOWS NO GENDER!" she squealed, fist bumping the air with both hands.

I was beyond shocked. Was I talking to a completely different Mabel Pines about a completely different Dipper Pines? There was no way a girl related to someone so introverted could be so... out there. "But how are you-"

"If things don't work out the first time I try then I'm going to force it! That's how the best matches are made! I once helped my friend Soos find a girlfriend and they've been dating for almost three years! There isn't anyone I can't find a match for, even my geeky brother!" she exclaimed, a determined expression on her face. I was picking glitter out of my hair at that point, although I was still paying attention. "So what do you want me to do to get him to like me?" I questioned. I figured it was safe to trust Mabel's judgment on this. I mean, no one knew more about Dipper than his twin sister.

Mabel put a hand on her chin, in deep thought. "Well, first off, ask him about his nerdy books and stuff. Trust me, it's like watching him turn into an entirely different person," she advised with a nod. I kept listening, interested. "Here, I'll slip you a list of do's and don't's tomorrow at school. It won't be much, and it's not like I'm going to ask you to change your personality or anything. But there's a few things about Dip you should probably tread lightly around. Unless you're me. Then you can tease him all you want and he's still obligated to love you," she went on, crossing her arms. Seriously. I should hang around her more often. She knows how to speak my language. "But I'm the only me, so you should really take my advice here."

I nodded, giving her a salute. She laughed, hitting me on my arm, this time not quite so softly. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a wink, returning my salute and walking off in the direction of the Mystery Shack. I was left alone, standing there with a lot more on my mind than I had planned when I decided to leave the house. I looked up. The sky was starting to transition into night. I guess we'd talked for a little bit longer than I'd thought.

So much for going to the arcade.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **(Dipper)**

Pacifica tapped on my shoulder, smiling brightly. I glanced over at her from the book in my hands. I was reluctant to look away, as I was nearing the end, but I did simply because it was Pacifica attempting to catch my attention. It wasn't like I had a crush on her or anything, though. Honestly, it'd feel odd if she liked me that way, because we were so close. She was practically my sister at that point. I wouldn't say that near Mabel, though, in an act of courtesy towards my actual sister. "What's up?" I asked, taking a peek at the page number I was on so I could close the book.

"So I was talking to Mabel yesterday, and she told me something really interesting," she said teasingly, poking me on my shoulder. I blinked. That wasn't terribly unusual. Mabel was always saying weird things to Pacifica about me, whether they were true or not, and they always made their way back to me. The two had settled their childish disputes as freshman, and found soon after that they actually had quite a bit in common. Thankfully. That way I didn't immediately become the bad guy because I liked being around both of them, and I wasn't forced to pick sides when they had yet another one of their silly arguments, which still occasionally occurred, I might add. Something told me Pacifica liked my sister more than she cared to admit, though.

I shrugged. "Alright. Tell me," I replied curiously, resting my head on my hand. Pacifica ran a hand through her bleached blonde hair, pushing it back over her shoulder. "Weeelll..." she started, swaying in her seat. I scoffed, flicking her on the forehead. "Hey!" she exclaimed, a hand coming up to rub the spot on her head I'd hit. A moment passed before the both of us laughed, and she shoved me playfully. She had picked up a few of Mabel's mannerisms over the last few years, but it wasn't like I minded at all. She was still herself, although much less arrogant than she'd been before. I supposed a lot of that came from the fact that she didn't want to grow up to become just like her terrible parents.

Pacifica hummed, taking her time in telling me what was going on. I grew impatient. "Oh, come on. Tell me already," I said. It had to be something that concerned me if she was getting like this about it. "You-" she pointed at me, "are going on a date with someone at the end of the week," she explained with a wink, her crystalline blue eyes glittering mischeviously. I hung my head. Of course Mabel had set me up with someone, and I knew I had no choice but to go. Mabel always got her way, whether it was because she begged or because it was often impossible for me to say no to her.

"With who?" I asked with a hint of exasperation. Pacifica giggled, shaking her head. "I can't tell you, but I'll tell you that I really didn't like this person very much at first. At least not until Mabel told me pretty much everything she knew about them yesterday," she said with a grin, her hands clasped together. This couldn't be good. I not only had Mabel doing these ridiculous things all the time, but my best friend wasn't even going to back me up and help me out of it, either.

"So basically you're just going to torture me with the knowledge that I'm stuck going on this date, but you won't tell me who I'm going with?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. Pacifica nodded her head, a devious smirk on her face. I sighed, shoving my book back into my backpack. I started pulling out things I would need for the project in history class. Pacifica and I had come in early because I got annoyed by the looks I kept receiving from my sister during our study period. The teacher hadn't minded since I was one of the best students. She figured we just wanted to ask the history teacher some questions. Obviously that's not what actually happened. Hey, I don't need to be a perfect student all the time.

The bell rang, and Pacifica stood up to sit where she usually did, directly behind me. I began going over all of the notes I'd taken over the past few days as the my classmates began filing into the room. Some gave me dirty looks that said, 'What makes you special enough to skip out on classes?' I shrugged it off. When you actually do what you're supposed to, you earn certain priveleges, which is all I did. Once they grasp that concept, they'll be able to do the same thing. Until then, I'll take the glares they shot me in stride. It wasn't like I wasn't used to being one of the least popular kids in school. I preferred myself the way I was, and I had given up trying to impress people a while ago. I had enough people that liked me. There was no need to act like someone else to earn approval.

I looked up to see Bill enter the room with his usual annoyingly smug grin on his face. He slipped a folded up piece of paper into his pocket and made his way over to his desk to sit down. I narrowed my eyes at him. Why did he look so... sparkly? Then it hit me. I just about smacked myself on the forehead, but I kept myself from it.

"Alright, class. Go where you've been sitting for the past few days. We're diving right into our projects today," the teacher announced, smiling kindly. I sighed, watching Pacifica stand up and go sit next to the chubby, childish boy, Gorney. I felt horrible that she had gotten stuck with a partner she didn't want all because Bill had to pull that stunt and pick me. And speak of the devil, he strode over to me and sat down. "Nice glitter in your hair. Did you grab the wrong bottle when you tried washing it this morning or did you just happen to run into my sister?" I questioned a bit bitterly, eyes glued to the paper in my hand. Bill laughed, leaning his head over my shoulder to read the notes I had taken. "Got your eyes on me, eh Pine Tree?" he replied with a smirk, grasping the top of the paper and snatching it from me.

On instinct, I reached upwards to take it back from him, but he held it over his head. I stood up to retrieve my papers, but he stood as well. As embarrassing as it was to admit, I wasn't tall enough to reach up and take it back. "Quit acting like a child!" I exclaimed, my face most likely turning bright red in anger. Bill just smirked, lowering his hand and letting me tear the documents from his hand. The entire class had their eyes on us at this point, so I sat down, grumbling. The teacher was staring suspiciously at my 'partner' in this assignment, probably placing him on her black list for disrupting her class.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop," Bill said, hands in the air like I was about to arrest him or something. I muttered to myself, deciding to ignore him and continue looking over my writing. Thankfully, I wrote my notes in a way that only I truly understood. Things were often abbreviated in odd ways or I wrote symbols that helped me remember certain things. That way no one ever cheated off of me. Plus it helped me out against people like Bill.

There was a long silence while I skimmed over the page, Bill just staring at me. "Yeah, I did," he said at some point. I furrowed my eyebrows in slight confusion, then looked over at him. He chuckled softly. "Earlier you asked if I'd run into Mabel. I did. Yesterday. I haven't been able to get this stuff out of my hair since, and I washed it like, three times," he explained with a friendly expression. I smiled at the thought, finding it somewhat amusing. "Sounds like my sister," I replied, clicking the pen in my hand and jotting something down really quick. As long as he didn't try anything funny with her, then I didn't mind all that much.

Yet again, there was a pause in between any conversation. We both just kind of worked on our own parts, which was fine with me because things went by faster that way. "Hey, Dipper," he said eventually, catching my attention. Ah, so he'd finally realized my hatred for the nickname. I put down my pen, looking over at him. "Yeah?" I replied with a bit of annoyance, though it was nothing in comparison to the anger I'd had previously.

Bill pointed at my bag. "How's that book you've been buried in?" he asked innocently, seemingly genuine in his question. I gave him a puzzled look, somewhat surprised. "Umm... It's really good, actually," I responded awkwardly. Was that a joke? Surely he wasn't serious, but I found no amusement or smugness in the expression he wore. Odd. He nodded, sitting his pencil down on his desk. "No need to be so quiet about it. I won't bite you or anything," he said with a grin. I found his change of character jarring, but I went with it. "Come on, be passionate about it. It's no fun to talk to someone who doesn't enjoy the conversation. Tell me what it's about, how pissed off you were when they killed off your favorite character, or how cool it was when you thought you knew something but then there was this really big twist. Things like that really light up a conversation."

I blinked, taken aback by the the offer. Not even Mabel bothered to listen to me ramble on about things like that, so I often kept my descriptions brief. I thought about it a moment, then decided that no harm could be done by being talkative for once. I beamed, going over every detail of just about everything I had read so far. I explained which characters I liked or hated, why, and pretty much everything I knew about each of them. I even went over important plot points, but it wasn't like Bill was ever going to actually read the book.

Still, he was looking at me like I was some sort of creature you see in horror movies. I averted my gaze, shrinking down in my seat. "Hey, man. You asked," I mumbled, somewhat embarrassed. What had I expected anyway? But Bill shook his head, waving his hands rapidly. "That's not it," he said quickly, then stopped for a moment to regain his usual composure. "It's just that Shooting Star was right about you turning into a whole new person," he explained with a grin. I was unsure how to respond, so I just lowered my gaze and shuffled my feet some. Bill laughed. "That wasn't an insult. I just couldn't think of any other way to get you to actually talk to me willingly," he went on with a simper, resting his head on his hand.

I was somewhat confused. "Oh... But I still don't understand your sudden fixation with me," I commented with a slight tilt of my head. "I mean, most people don't go this far out of their way just to make a joke out of me."

Bill's mouth hung open a bit for a few moments before he responded. "Th-that's what you think?" he asked quietly, guilt or hurt evident in his tone. I was unable to discern whether it was one or the other. I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. He grinned, although something seemed different this time than usual. "I like you, Pine Tree. I think you're just so frustratingly distrusting. Lighten up some, you know?"

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. Even he thought so, huh? I just sighed, forcing myself to keep my eyes on him. "I hear that a lot..." I mumbled, shifting in my seat. There was yet another long silence in which Bill and I just looked at one another. I don't think either of us really knew what to say or do at that point.

"Boys! Please keep your eyes on your work!" the teacher called, catching Bill and I off guard. I jumped a bit, picking up my pen as quickly as possible and went back to scrawling bits of information down on my paper. I didn't even realize the fact that class was just about over until there was a loud ringing over my head. Bill stood up from his seat and stretched out his arms some. I began putting my things away, hoping to god we weren't too behind because I had spent most of the class rambling on about some mystery novel. "Guess I'll see you later, Pine Tree," Bill said before making his way towards the exit. He stopped for a moment. "Oh, and tell Mabel I said thanks for the advice."

Advice? I thought questioningly, but nodded anyway. As long as he wasn't trying to harm her in any way it was none of my business. I just waved, placing my pen in one of the pockets on my backpack. "See ya'," I said, finding it odd and somewhat out of character for me to be so calm or friendly around Bill. Ugh, maybe I do need to work on my trust issues...

I guessed it couldn't hurt to give him a shot, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 **(Bill)**

Before I could leave, I had to make sure I had the list on me. It was clear to tell which paper it was, too, because it was covered in glitter. Still, I couldn't find it for some reason. "Okay, maybe Pine Tree is right. I should really organize my bag..." I mumbled, sifting through the black and gold backpack carelessly. I gave a sigh of relief. Down at the bottom was a small, folded up piece of paper practically shining once light was on it. I reached down and pulled it out, thanking heaven above I hadn't lost it for good. "Alright," I said to myself, unfolding it. "Just for a reminder." I looked over the bright purple writing with a light laugh. The list went like this:

DON'T! :C

1) Don't make fun of his nerd stuff.

2) Don't mention his height. XD

3) Don't ask about things he gets all secretive about.

4) Don't ask about his arm. That's a funny story he'll tell you eventually.

5) Don't ask why everyone calls him Dipper.

6) Don't push your luck with anything O-O

That's it! Good luck; you'll need it to get past Mr. Serious McSeriouspants!

I tossed the paper onto my bed with a scoff, then headed for the door. I made my way outside and closed the door behind me. The fact that this was even happening at all was somewhat of a miracle. Still, I knew I should take slight precautions when it came to Dipper. So I was sure to take the sixth bit of advice to heart. I grinned. This was going to be worth it. I knew that if anyone was going to get past Dipper Pines, then it was me. And after it was all over, I'd get the money, the recognition, and the...

The guilt. I stopped where I stood on the sidewalk, my facial expression falling flat. Was that the feeling that kept taking over my head whenever we spoke? Guilt? I shook my head, resisting the urge to curse at myself. Why did I have to do that to myself? It was just a bet, a game. I'd said it before and I'd say it again. It didn't really matter in the end. There was no harm in playing a little prank on Pine Tree. It was all in good fun. "I mean, most people don't go this far out of their way just to make a joke out of me," the words I'd heard earlier that week rang in my ears. I sighed, digging my heel into the ground some. Maybe it'd be best to call off the bet.

I thought that, but for some reason I kept going. I took off yet again where I'd been told by Mabel to go. What was the problem with just one more day, right? Once Dipper was in sight, I stepped towards him with a slight wave. He was sitting on one of the park benches with his chin rested on his hand. He had a navy blue jacket, a plain t-shirt, and black jeans on. His hat was nowhere to be seen and it looked like Mabel had forced him to keep his hair neat. Most notably, though, was the bored or uninterested face he wore. "Hey, Pine Tree. What's up?" I greeted with a grin, stopping in front of him.

Dipper looked up at me, neither happy nor angered, it seemed. "Not much... Mabel made me come here for some date she set me up on," he said with a huff, crossing his arms. He tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows quizzically. "And what are you up to dressed like that?" he questioned. I looked down at myself. He was probably referring to the yellow sweater vest and long sleeved shirt beneath it. I just shrugged. "I always look nice for dates. It's a habit you should get into, Pine Tree," I responded with a smile, attempting to oh-so subtly hint at why I was there. He blinked, a skeptical expression on his face. "Really now? And who has the displeasure of going on a date... Oh, goddammit Mabel," he hissed in realization, smacking his palm against his forehead.

I laughed, placing a hand on his wrist and pulling him up from his seat. "Yup! You're stuck with me for the next two hours and there's no getting out of it!" I exclaimed, pulling him by his arm so he was only a few inches from me. My yelling had earned a few looks from nearby people, some slightly disgusted by the connotations of what I'd said and others finding it absolutely adorable. Dipper noticed this as well and shoved himself away from me, his cheeks painted red. "How about this instead: I go to the arcade for two hours, go back home, tell Mabel I suffered through this 'date', and we never speak of it again? I think that's a much better idea," he growled, pulling his arm to try and escape me. I frowned at the thought, my stubborn mind unable to accept that.

"Come on! Give me a chance. You might actually have fun," I said, not letting go of his wrist.

Dipper seemed to think about it a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know if you've caught on yet, man, but I'm not really into... that," he said awkwardly, his eyes on the ground.

I let go of his arm, beaming. "That's fine. No one said anything about dating. It's just a one time thing if you don't want anything more," I promised, holding out a hand. Dipper glanced down at it, then back up at me. He seemed to be pondering it a moment, but one look at the pleading expression I had on made him sigh in defeat.

He took my hand, giving it a shake. "Fine. But here are the ground rules," he started, letting go. I resisted the urge to throw up my arms. Great. More restrictions, I said inwardly, but smiled on the outside, silently waiting for him to give me the rules. "No weird flirting. No touching of my arms or- you know what, just don't touch me at all. And no calling me by that stupid nickname," he conditioned, raising an eyebrow. "Can you handle that?" I knew that wasn't going to happen, and surely he wasn't naive enough to believe I was going to follow any of those rules to a tee.

I brought a hand up to my chin thoughtfully. "I probably can't turn off the flirting. That's just how I talk. The touching thing might be difficult if at any point I decide to drag you somewhere so I can't promise that one. But I'm not going to stop calling you Pine Tree, and that's not negotiable. Sooo... no," I responded, pocketing my hands. Dipper exhaled, exasperation evident in his demeanor. "Just... keep it to a minimum," he finally conceded, pinching the bridge of his nose. I grinned joyfully, nodding my head in agreement. And that's when I grabbed his hand, already breaking one of his rules, and heading off wherever seemed fun or interesting at the time.

And surprisingly, the date was pretty fun. We ate at Greasy's Diner in town, so I took the opportunity to learn as much about him as I could without digging into the things Mabel had warned me about mentioning. I also dragged him to the arcade because he had said something about it earlier. He was shockingly good at a lot of the games I challenged him to. He didn't seem like the gamer type, in all honesty, but I was pleasantly surprised when he beat me in a round of Fight Fighters. Then I simply decided to walk him back to the bench I'd met him at to just talk for a bit before my time was up. I figured I'd spent the date pretty well, and my chances were decently high.

I sat down next to Dipper, who seemed to be averting his eyes from me. He looked up at the sky, which had gotten pretty dark in the time we had been hanging out. It was probably about nine at that point. "So did you ever finish that book you were telling me about?" I asked casually, turning my gaze towards him. Even in the dim darkness, I could see his bright, bottle green eyes light up. He beamed, looking over at me despite his previous avoidance. And he went on and on, never skipping a beat in his description of the rather colorful sounding story.

I listened intently, though most of my attention was directed at Dipper himself. He had such a way with his words when he truly cared about the topic, I'd noticed. This was definitely one of those times. And when he'd stop for a moment to laugh whenever I commented, I felt an odd jolt. It was foreign and interesting, but I ignored it anyway, choosing to keep my attention on him. I hadn't actually expected to enjoy his company so much, especially considering the true nature of our outing. Still, I had acknowledged early on in the date that I found his enthusiasm over silly, trivial things, his hair- which he'd screwed up halfway through- the way his ears turned red whenever he got embarrassed, and almost everything else about him utterly adorable. It was a good thing I already knew I was gay, or else I'd have had a few things to figure out about myself.

I found myself somewhat starstruck by him at that point, which I knew wasn't good for my 'mission'. I just wrote it off as petty infatuation, however. I mean, me liking Dipper Pines romantically was almost a joke in itself. Or... was that just denial speaking? I was unsure, so I chose to go with the former. "Sounds like a pretty good book," I remarked, leaning back where I sat so my back was against the bench. I looked up, and so did Dipper. "I thought so," he said cheerfully, glancing over at me before bringing his eyes back up towards the stars. I chuckled, nudging his side.

"Check it out, Pine Tree. The Big Dipper," I said, pointing upwards towards the blackened sky. He shoved my shoulder lightly, laughing. "That reminds me of my-" but he cut himself off, going silent and tearing his gaze away from my own. My eyebrows knit together questioningly. "Your what?" I inquired curiously, ignoring the rule about secrecy on the paper Mabel had given me.

Dipper shifted uncomfortably where he sat. "Um... It's nothing," he lied, keeping his head low.

I blinked, seeing through his obvious ruse immediately. "Come on. You gotta tell me now," I persisted.

He forced himself to look at me, embarrassment clear as day even in the darkness on his face. "Alright man. Just promise you won't laugh," he said with a simper. I nodded, confused but intrigued. He then scooted an inch or two towards me, steeling his courage to show me whatever he had to show me. He exhaled deeply, then brought a hand up to push his bangs up and out of his face. There was a mark identical to the constellation I'd pointed out earlier on his forehead. I blinked, my mouth hung open just slightly. "How is that even possible?" I asked, amazed at the precise similarity it held to the actual Big Dipper.

Dipper just shrugged, fixing his hair so it covered the birth mark on his head. "I don't know. But I grew my hair out to cover it in middle school because everyone teased me as a kid for it. You know those stupid dome things you had to sit in for a class in elementary school? The ones that were really dark on the inside until the teacher turned on a projection of the stars? Yeah, well my teachers always pointed out the mark on my forehead and used it as some stupid example or something else embarrassing," he explained, looking up at the moon, which was only a sliver in the sky. I nodded, interested. "I remember my teacher said I was like some sort of anomaly that only happens in sci-fi movies. That's when everyone started calling me 'Little Dipper.' I hated it, but at some point I was forced to accept it. Thank god I was able to shorten it to just Dipper when I moved here. The name's kind of grown on me, you know?"

I thought for a moment about a young Dipper, being made fun of for meaningless things that were completely unchangeable. I actually felt a little bit bad for him, in all honesty. Was that why he was so distrusting? Or maybe there was a different reason for that. I was sure he'd tell me eventually, as he'd seemed to be warming up to me lately, especially that day. "That's too bad," I commented, oceanic blue eyes fixated on him. He turned his head towards me. "Why's that?" he questioned with interest.

I smiled, sure this tactic would seal the deal for me. If it didn't, then I knew nothing else would. I slid my hand closer to Dipper's, and he took notice, his expression hardening slightly into suspicion. "Because I think those kids missed out on something so interesting and strange and downright confusing as Dipper Pines," I replied smoothly, affectionately. Dipper's face had become visibly red, even in the dim light. There was a long pause before he said anything. He just looked downwards at his hand like he was considering taking my own. I smirked inwardly, but didn't let it show.

He looked back up at me, bright green irises swirling with questions and nervousness. "You know, I really hated you when I met you," he said, and I scoffed in amusement. He sighed, shooting me a look that said he wanted me to keep quiet. "But... This was fun, so I'm going to let you... kiss... me. I said it before, I don't have any interest in dating other guys, so don't get your hopes up. But if I actually... uh, yeah..." he went on quietly, shifting where he sat. I was a bit stunned, but allowed him to continue. "Then we can do this again sometime. If not, though, I want you to stop trying to be all flirty and touchy and weird so we can just be normal friends, cause I actually kinda like you. Kinda. Don't get a big head about it, alright?"

I grinned joyfully. "Seriously?" I asked, a twinge disbelieving. Though I had to resist the urge to say some smartass comment about the 'kinda' thing. He nodded slightly, eyes low. I mean, I definitely hadn't expected Dipper to be so quick to jump to that, but I certainly wasn't complaining. I leaned forward some, until his face was only an inch or two away from mine. In the close proximity, I was able to see just how bright the blush across his cheeks had become. I chuckled, reaching up a hand and placing it on his chin, tilting it upwards. I then moved closer yet again, leaning down so my lips could press against his own. I closed my eyes, thoroughly enjoying myself. I couldn't even begin to comprehend how utterly fantastic it felt. Dipper brought one of his own hands up to the back of my neck, pulling me further into the kiss. It also seemed that based on his unsureness and obvious inexperience, that was his first kiss, or at least close. I felt something horrible and unfamiliar welling up in the back of my mind at that realization, but chose to ignore it and allow myself to have a little fun.

When I finally pulled away, Dipper was breathing a bit faster than he'd been. The same could've been said about me. The both of us just stared at one another. There was a look of both confusion and intrigue on his face. I on the other hand felt nothing but more of that bitterness that I couldn't quite put my finger on. And I briefly wondered what I was getting myself into.

There was a little bit of something else, too. Something pleasant. Something interesting. I was getting too close, and I knew it. I was sure I had it bad, and this had done nothing to fix it. Dipper let his eyes fall, standing up to be right in front of me. I looked up, puzzled as to what he was doing. "I... I gotta go. Mabel's probably waiting up on me. It was fun hanging out," he said awkwardly, pressing the toe of his shoe into the dirt. "Okayseeyalaterbye!" he yelled, darting off towards the Mystery Shack outside of town. I was left to sit there alone, wondering just what the hell I was doing.

So how am I going to get out of this one? I asked myself, head in my hands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 **(Dipper)**

"Aww, come on, Bro-bro! Tell me what happened!" Mabel begged yet again. I shook my head, walking a bit faster to move away from her. Of course she followed after me, but I still didn't say anything. "What happened on that date that was so cray cray that you won't tell me?" she questioned, leaning over to look at my face, which I turned away from her. I had to be blushing horribly at that point, but I still attempted to hide what had happened from her. She had been trying to figure it out all weekend, and even then, on our way to school.

"Come on, bro! What happen- Wait..." she stopped herself, a grin spreading across her face. Fuck. "You're blushing, avoiding eye contact, and won't tell me what happened..." I grit my teeth, waiting for her inevitable realization. She gasped, grabbing my arm and jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! You and Bill!" she squealed, keeping me in place where I stood. I smacked a hand against her mouth to keep her quiet. "Shh! You can't tell anyone, alright?" I said with a firm expression, glancing around to be sure no one had heard her little outburst.

Mabel nodded vigorously, bouncing enthusiastically. I sighed, letting my hand fall back down to my side. "So what happened? Did you kiss? Are you guys dating? Am I a genius? Yes!" she asked quietly, answering her own question at the end. I rolled my eyes, taking off once again towards the school. She chased after me, continually interrogating me about my date with Bill. I answered none of her questions, of course. I was still unsure of quite a few things myself, if I was being completely honest.

Pacifica sat directly behind me, toying with the stray hairs sticking out of my hat. I didn't mind, just sitting quietly with a new book in hand and waiting for class to begin. "How was your date on Saturday?" she asked with a playful snicker, smoothing down a bit that had been sticking up. I shrugged, unsure how to answer the question. That's when the bell, thankfully, rang. Pacifica sighed, picking up her things and moving to the seat beside Gorney's, waiting for him to arrive in the classroom. "I'll get you to tell me eventually, Dip," she said teasingly, sitting down. I just buried my nose farther in my book, ignoring her.

I felt someone tug it upwards by the binding and lift it up out of my hands. "Hey there, Pine Tree. How was your weekend?" Bill questioned, picking up my bookmark and placing it in between the pages. I turned my head away from him, looking down to focus on my backpack as I pulled out everything I would need that day. "Fine..." I muttered with a hint of annoyance. I knew what he was doing. He placed a hand on my head, and I looked up, confused. He then tore my cap from off my head, placing it on his own with a smirk. "Give that back!" I demanded, reaching upwards to take it, but he stepped backwards.

Bill's expression hardened, and he brought a finger up to his lips, signalling for me to be quiet. "Not until I get some answers. So I hope you've got things figured out because I am more than willing to hold onto this until then," he said, stepping over to his desk and sitting down. I just watched him with a simper, not saying a word while he did this. He leaned his head on his desk, deep blue eyes trained directly on me. "So... what's the verdict?" he asked, a look of slight worry on his usual smug face. I looked down, fidgeting in my seat.

I didn't know, even after all the thinking I had done over the weekend. On one hand, I knew that there had been chemistry, and that was a good thing, right? On the other hand, I was still fully convinced I was straight. I mean, no other guy caught my attention. No one except for Bill Cipher, who was staring so expectantly at me I felt like my chest was going to cave in. During this time, our teacher had begun to explain the fact that we were getting a new student, or something else I paid no mind to.

I gulped, forcing myself to keep my gaze on him. "I think..." I started, unsure of myself. Bill just kept looking at me pleadingly, a look similar to a puppy begging for food on his face. I sighed, a half smile creeping onto my lips. "I'll give it a shot," I answered, deciding there could be no harm in doing so. Bill's grin widened across his face, and he stood up from his chair to practically dive on me. Before I even knew what was happening, he had coiled his long, slender arms around my body. I just blinked my bright emerald eyes, taken aback.

The entire class was staring at us, and I had no idea how to respond to the situation. Pacifica had a sly look on her face, and she had made a heart with her hands. I scowled at her, and Bill pulled himself away from me. "Thanks, Pine Tree. I promise you won't regret it!" Bill said cheerfully, pulling my cap off of his head and placing it back down on my own. I couldn't believe the situation I seemed to be in. "Umm... Anyway, this is our new student. Please introduce yourself," our teacher said awkwardly, breaking the moment of its tension.

Bill smiled, sitting down in his seat. I watched him for a moment, still in awe, then brought my attention back towards the front of the room. My eyes widened, pupils going so small they looked like pen marks in my irises. A boy in a powder blue suit stood beside the teacher. His hair was white and obnoxiously high on his head. His cheeks were chubby, splattered with freckles, and he wore a big, stupidly large grin on his face. "My name is Gideon Gleeful," he said joyfully, his southern accent shining through. My mouth hung agape, and I could hardly process the situation. Why was he here?

"G-Gideon...?" I asked hoarsely, choking on my own voice. The boy's gaze came to rest on me, hearing me. His eyes lit up with recognition. "Why, Dipper Pines; what a delight!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Bill and the teacher looked at me quizzically, befuddled. "You two know each other?" the history teacher asked, interested. I was speechless, incapable of answering. So Gideon took it upon himself to do it for me. "Oh, I would recognize that cap anywhere! It's been so long! How have you been? How's Mabel?" he asked, his expression darkening as soon as my sister was mentioned.

And that's what set me off. I stood up in my seat, earning odd looks from my classmates. "Better with you gone," I growled threateningly, eyes blazing. "And if you so much as lay a finger on my sister-"

Gideon gasped, feigning an offended expression and bringing a hand up to his chest. "Such malice! I would never harm my little peach, Mabel!" he said defensively, fake tears forming in his eyes.

I saw through the ruse like glass. "Don't touch her," I snarled, balling my hands into fists.

The teacher gave me a look of arrant shock. "Mr. Pines, how rude!" she said angrily, crossing her arms. I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to say anything about what Gideon had done to my sister and I in the past. I glanced between the two people at the front of the room. I brought a hand up to tug at my bangs, biting the inside of my cheek and forcing myself not to yell. I glared at Gideon a moment before speeding out of the classroom. I did not want to be anywhere near that bastard.

"Dipper!" Pacifica called after me, but I turned the corner and kept going. If I could outrun Mabel, then outrunning her would be easy. What may not be so easy was the fact that Bill had called out for me too, and I might not be able to get far with him on my tail. I guess it all depended on just how much I wanted to get away. I ran off until I reached the end of the hall. Then I stopped, unsure which way I wanted to go. I looked to the right. The library was that way. I sighed. It was probably predictable of me, but when I heard the voice of Bill, who had suggested they turn the way I had gone, I panicked a bit. I snuck into the next hall as quietly as I could manage, walking down until I reached the room I wanted to be at.

I opened the door quietly, slipping inside hopefully unnoticed. I knew the librarian had gone home already. He always did right after lunch. I was safe. At least until I was inevitably found by my friends. But I chose to enjoy myself for a while until that happened. I knew I would have to explain to them why I had run off. Well, Bill mostly. Pacifica had been informed of my history with Gideon before. She had even been there for a lot of that time. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, stepping towards the opposite wall and looking for something interesting to read. I grabbed something by a familiar author, the one who had written the book I'd only just finished, and walked over to the corner.

I slid down the wall to sit, opening up the book. I wrinkled my nose at what I saw. The inside of the first page had been vandalized, written on by someone with horribly sloppy handwriting. There was a phone number on the inside with the words Call for a good time. Make me your- I blushed, tearing the page out of the book. I didn't often do that, but I had recognized the number. It was definitely Pacifica's, which I didn't much appreciate. Especially not once I turned the page over to see in big bold letters Whore, rich bitch, and Pines' little- I crumpled the paper up, grumbling to myself. Pacifica's popularity had only declined since she began hanging around Mabel and I, but that? Really? What terrible things to call someone...

Suddenly not quite in the mood for reading anymore, I sat the book down beside me. That had obviously been left for me. Somebody had probably seen the book I'd had and thought it would've been funny to leave this for me to see. I shook my head angrily, attempting to rid myself of everything going on around me. Gideon was back, people had only gotten bolder in their chase after my sister, people harassed Pacifica just for being near me. It was like nothing could ever go the way I wanted, even when all I wanted was to help my friends and family. Maybe Bill was just playing me, too. I mean, maybe people got bored trying to get to my sister and thought of something new.

I heard the door open up, and Bill appeared from the hallway. He stepped inside, Pacifica directly behind him. "Pine Tree?" he called, before looking over and seeing me in the corner. He immediately perked up, grinning before walking over to me. "There you are. You're pretty good at this, but you should've expected us to look here," he said teasingly, leaning downwards to be face to face with me. I turned my head away from him, eyes on the ground. He sighed. "Come on, don't act like a kid. We're just worried. It really isn't like you to do something that stupid. There's clearly something wrong," he went on, voice laced with fear for my well being. Still, I didn't look over, eyes narrowed at the opposite corner of the room.

Bill placed a hand on my chin, turning my face towards him. As close up as he was, I could see just how scared he must've been that something was really wrong. "Dipper," he said seriously, tone dark. I glanced over at Pacifica, who seemed torn between being cripplingly worried and utterly starstruck. I huffed, placing both hands on Bill's shoulders, shoving him downwards. "Sit," I muttered, and he did as I said without a word. He moved over to sit beside me, picking up the book and placing it at his side. That's when he seemed to notice the crumpled up sheet of paper, and he grabbed it before I could snatch it from him. He narrowed his eyes at me, an eyebrow raised. I shifted where I sat, looking down at the floor in slight embarrassment.

"Don't think I won't get to that in a second. Right now I just want to know what's up with you and haircut back there," Bill said, placing the paper at his side where I couldn't reach it if I tried.

I looked up at Pacifica, who smiled lightly as she sat down on my other side. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to explain what had happened. "So when Mabel and I first moved to town, she was in that phase where every guy is her soulmate," I said with a roll of my eyes. "And Gideon really liked her. The only problem was, he was an exception to that. Well, actually there's another problem, too... He's kiiinda completely insane. So he kept roping her into more and more dates, and she came to me for advice. Obviously I told her to just break it off, but she couldn't, so I told him off for her. He uh... didn't take it very well," I explained, voice quiet.

Bill scoffed, nudging me in the side. "Ah, the first of many to have their heart broken by you, Pine Tree. Real smooth," he joked in attempt to lighten the mood. I laughed, shoving him by his shoulder. "Shut up, man! I'm trying to tell a story here. I seriously couldn't make any of this up if I tried," I said with a grin on my face. That's when my expression dropped yet again, and I went back to what I had been saying. "Well, he uh... swore vengeance or whatever on me, and tried at least three times to um... get me out of the way, so to speak. So basically what I'm getting at here is he tried to murder me about four times before he finally came up with his 'master plan.'"

Bill was listening intently, somewhat taken for a loop when I mentioned the word murder. "Sounds like a pretty nice guy," he commented sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Pacifica and I. I really didn't want to go on, but I figured Bill had pretty much earned my trust at that point. So I did anyway. "Well, his master plan was to simply take Mabel away from me. He said I was poisoning her mind and making her think he was the bad guy. But I mean, it's not hard to come to that conclusion. I wasn't too worried about it. We always found our way out of trouble really easily back then, and a twelve year old with a blue suit on doesn't exactly sound threatening. Well... we probably should've been more careful, but we were really naive then," I continued, getting to the part I really didn't like talking about.

I rubbed my arm nervously. "Um, this part doesn't leave this room, okay?" I asked, and both Pacifica and Bill nodded. I closed my eyes for a moment to take a breath, then opened them again to keep going. "So one day, I woke up to find that she was gone. I ran all around town looking for her, and even went into the woods. No matter where I checked, it was like she had disappeared. A day went by, then another, and another. I wasn't sleeping, and the entire town was frantic trying to find her. And nobody would've guessed that Gideon had done it, except me. He was so well-loved by everyone that nobody believed me when I pointed the blame towards him. I got desperate, so I broke into his house that night. It wasn't hard. Wendy and her friends helped me. I found her in the basement of his house, and I stayed with her for at least an hour while she just... cried. Wendy and her friends had left by then. I told them they could go. What happened during the time she was missing has always been just between her and I," I said, keeping my gaze low.

Bill and Pacifica were both silent for a while. None of this information was new to Pacifica, but I knew she didn't like hearing about it, which I completely understood. I wouldn't like hearing about it either. I scoffed, tugging my hat down so it cast a shadow over my eyes. "That sounds like the kind of stuff you read in books, and you never think it could happen to you or anyone close to you. It happens to other people, but surely it won't happen to me, right? That's what I'd thought, but..." I choked out, my head against the wall behind me. I didn't want to look at Bill. He probably didn't believe me. He probably thought I was some sort of lunatic. "Well, what happened then?" he asked. I snapped my head towards him, puzzled. He just looked at me. "You said you stayed with her. Then what? You guys left, right? Did you report him?" he went on to ask, absorbed in the story I had told. I didn't quite know how to respond. I mean, I had expected to be written off like some sort of kid seeking his attention.

I fidgeted slightly, turning my head to face forward yet again. "I told her we should, but she was so scared and she just wanted to get past it. To let things return to normal. I couldn't get her to budge, and I wouldn't force her to do anything. What we did instead was let Gideon wake up to find her gone, and when he came to confront us, I told Mabel to stay in our room so I could get rid of him. I threatened him with the information. I knew that his DNA had to be all over the clothes she'd been wearing, and if the authorities knew where I'd found her, then they were sure to find even more evidence there. I told him to leave and never come back. I told him that if I ever saw him again, then I'd tell. Well, needless to say, he skipped town with the rest of his family after that. But now... he's back and Mabel's in danger again," I finished, head in my hands. I knew I should've told when I had the chance, but how could I do that to my sister?

Bill rested a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I looked over at him to see that he had a big grin on his face. "Pine Tree, if you could break into some snot nosed brat's house undetected when you were twelve just to rescue your sister, then he'd better be damn scared of you now. I mean, I think I probably would be," he said, chuckling at his own joke at the end. I smiled, feeling just a little bit better. He held up the paper from earlier. "And you know what, no more explanations. I'll put away that book of yours and throw this away on our way out. I think you could use a break today," he went on, standing up and holding out a hand. I took it, letting him help me to my feet without a word. Pacifica followed behind us.

"Bill's right, Dip. Things will be fine, I'm sure," she said reassuringly, nodding her head in agreement. I pocketed my hands, returning the nod. Bill leaned down and picked up what was on the floor. "You two go on. I'll get rid of this and put your dumb smart guy book up for you. We're probably all in deep trouble for running out of class, so I don't think another minute will make much difference," he said with a shrug. I nodded, opening up the door and letting Pacifica step out before me. I then followed after her, a new confidence in my abilities to keep Mabel safe building up. Maybe I had been right to accept Bill's offer, after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

 **(Dipper)**

"Aww, come on, Bro-bro! Tell me what happened!" Mabel begged yet again. I shook my head, walking a bit faster to move away from her. Of course she followed after me, but I still didn't say anything. "What happened on that date that was so cray cray that you won't tell me?" she questioned, leaning over to look at my face, which I turned away from her. I had to be blushing horribly at that point, but I still attempted to hide what had happened from her. She had been trying to figure it out all weekend, and even then, on our way to school.

"Come on, bro! What happen- Wait..." she stopped herself, a grin spreading across her face. Fuck. "You're blushing, avoiding eye contact, and won't tell me what happened..." I grit my teeth, waiting for her inevitable realization. She gasped, grabbing my arm and jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! You and Bill!" she squealed, keeping me in place where I stood. I smacked a hand against her mouth to keep her quiet. "Shh! You can't tell anyone, alright?" I said with a firm expression, glancing around to be sure no one had heard her little outburst.

Mabel nodded vigorously, bouncing enthusiastically. I sighed, letting my hand fall back down to my side. "So what happened? Did you kiss? Are you guys dating? Am I a genius? Yes!" she asked quietly, answering her own question at the end. I rolled my eyes, taking off once again towards the school. She chased after me, continually interrogating me about my date with Bill. I answered none of her questions, of course. I was still unsure of quite a few things myself, if I was being completely honest.

Pacifica sat directly behind me, toying with the stray hairs sticking out of my hat. I didn't mind, just sitting quietly with a new book in hand and waiting for class to begin. "How was your date on Saturday?" she asked with a playful snicker, smoothing down a bit that had been sticking up. I shrugged, unsure how to answer the question. That's when the bell, thankfully, rang. Pacifica sighed, picking up her things and moving to the seat beside Gorney's, waiting for him to arrive in the classroom. "I'll get you to tell me eventually, Dip," she said teasingly, sitting down. I just buried my nose farther in my book, ignoring her.

I felt someone tug it upwards by the binding and lift it up out of my hands. "Hey there, Pine Tree. How was your weekend?" Bill questioned, picking up my bookmark and placing it in between the pages. I turned my head away from him, looking down to focus on my backpack as I pulled out everything I would need that day. "Fine..." I muttered with a hint of annoyance. I knew what he was doing. He placed a hand on my head, and I looked up, confused. He then tore my cap from off my head, placing it on his own with a smirk. "Give that back!" I demanded, reaching upwards to take it, but he stepped backwards.

Bill's expression hardened, and he brought a finger up to his lips, signalling for me to be quiet. "Not until I get some answers. So I hope you've got things figured out because I am more than willing to hold onto this until then," he said, stepping over to his desk and sitting down. I just watched him with a simper, not saying a word while he did this. He leaned his head on his desk, deep blue eyes trained directly on me. "So... what's the verdict?" he asked, a look of slight worry on his usual smug face. I looked down, fidgeting in my seat.

I didn't know, even after all the thinking I had done over the weekend. On one hand, I knew that there had been chemistry, and that was a good thing, right? On the other hand, I was still fully convinced I was straight. I mean, no other guy caught my attention. No one except for Bill Cipher, who was staring so expectantly at me I felt like my chest was going to cave in. During this time, our teacher had begun to explain the fact that we were getting a new student, or something else I paid no mind to.

I gulped, forcing myself to keep my gaze on him. "I think..." I started, unsure of myself. Bill just kept looking at me pleadingly, a look similar to a puppy begging for food on his face. I sighed, a half smile creeping onto my lips. "I'll give it a shot," I answered, deciding there could be no harm in doing so. Bill's grin widened across his face, and he stood up from his chair to practically dive on me. Before I even knew what was happening, he had coiled his long, slender arms around my body. I just blinked my bright emerald eyes, taken aback.

The entire class was staring at us, and I had no idea how to respond to the situation. Pacifica had a sly look on her face, and she had made a heart with her hands. I scowled at her, and Bill pulled himself away from me. "Thanks, Pine Tree. I promise you won't regret it!" Bill said cheerfully, pulling my cap off of his head and placing it back down on my own. I couldn't believe the situation I seemed to be in. "Umm... Anyway, this is our new student. Please introduce yourself," our teacher said awkwardly, breaking the moment of its tension.

Bill smiled, sitting down in his seat. I watched him for a moment, still in awe, then brought my attention back towards the front of the room. My eyes widened, pupils going so small they looked like pen marks in my irises. A boy in a powder blue suit stood beside the teacher. His hair was white and obnoxiously high on his head. His cheeks were chubby, splattered with freckles, and he wore a big, stupidly large grin on his face. "My name is Gideon Gleeful," he said joyfully, his southern accent shining through. My mouth hung agape, and I could hardly process the situation. Why was he here?

"G-Gideon...?" I asked hoarsely, choking on my own voice. The boy's gaze came to rest on me, hearing me. His eyes lit up with recognition. "Why, Dipper Pines; what a delight!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Bill and the teacher looked at me quizzically, befuddled. "You two know each other?" the history teacher asked, interested. I was speechless, incapable of answering. So Gideon took it upon himself to do it for me. "Oh, I would recognize that cap anywhere! It's been so long! How have you been? How's Mabel?" he asked, his expression darkening as soon as my sister was mentioned.

And that's what set me off. I stood up in my seat, earning odd looks from my classmates. "Better with you gone," I growled threateningly, eyes blazing. "And if you so much as lay a finger on my sister-"

Gideon gasped, feigning an offended expression and bringing a hand up to his chest. "Such malice! I would never harm my little peach, Mabel!" he said defensively, fake tears forming in his eyes.

I saw through the ruse like glass. "Don't touch her," I snarled, balling my hands into fists.

The teacher gave me a look of arrant shock. "Mr. Pines, how rude!" she said angrily, crossing her arms. I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to say anything about what Gideon had done to my sister and I in the past. I glanced between the two people at the front of the room. I brought a hand up to tug at my bangs, biting the inside of my cheek and forcing myself not to yell. I glared at Gideon a moment before speeding out of the classroom. I did not want to be anywhere near that bastard.

"Dipper!" Pacifica called after me, but I turned the corner and kept going. If I could outrun Mabel, then outrunning her would be easy. What may not be so easy was the fact that Bill had called out for me too, and I might not be able to get far with him on my tail. I guess it all depended on just how much I wanted to get away. I ran off until I reached the end of the hall. Then I stopped, unsure which way I wanted to go. I looked to the right. The library was that way. I sighed. It was probably predictable of me, but when I heard the voice of Bill, who had suggested they turn the way I had gone, I panicked a bit. I snuck into the next hall as quietly as I could manage, walking down until I reached the room I wanted to be at.

I opened the door quietly, slipping inside hopefully unnoticed. I knew the librarian had gone home already. He always did right after lunch. I was safe. At least until I was inevitably found by my friends. But I chose to enjoy myself for a while until that happened. I knew I would have to explain to them why I had run off. Well, Bill mostly. Pacifica had been informed of my history with Gideon before. She had even been there for a lot of that time. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, stepping towards the opposite wall and looking for something interesting to read. I grabbed something by a familiar author, the one who had written the book I'd only just finished, and walked over to the corner.

I slid down the wall to sit, opening up the book. I wrinkled my nose at what I saw. The inside of the first page had been vandalized, written on by someone with horribly sloppy handwriting. There was a phone number on the inside with the words Call for a good time. Make me your- I blushed, tearing the page out of the book. I didn't often do that, but I had recognized the number. It was definitely Pacifica's, which I didn't much appreciate. Especially not once I turned the page over to see in big bold letters Whore, rich bitch, and Pines' little- I crumpled the paper up, grumbling to myself. Pacifica's popularity had only declined since she began hanging around Mabel and I, but that? Really? What terrible things to call someone...

Suddenly not quite in the mood for reading anymore, I sat the book down beside me. That had obviously been left for me. Somebody had probably seen the book I'd had and thought it would've been funny to leave this for me to see. I shook my head angrily, attempting to rid myself of everything going on around me. Gideon was back, people had only gotten bolder in their chase after my sister, people harassed Pacifica just for being near me. It was like nothing could ever go the way I wanted, even when all I wanted was to help my friends and family. Maybe Bill was just playing me, too. I mean, maybe people got bored trying to get to my sister and thought of something new.

I heard the door open up, and Bill appeared from the hallway. He stepped inside, Pacifica directly behind him. "Pine Tree?" he called, before looking over and seeing me in the corner. He immediately perked up, grinning before walking over to me. "There you are. You're pretty good at this, but you should've expected us to look here," he said teasingly, leaning downwards to be face to face with me. I turned my head away from him, eyes on the ground. He sighed. "Come on, don't act like a kid. We're just worried. It really isn't like you to do something that stupid. There's clearly something wrong," he went on, voice laced with fear for my well being. Still, I didn't look over, eyes narrowed at the opposite corner of the room.

Bill placed a hand on my chin, turning my face towards him. As close up as he was, I could see just how scared he must've been that something was really wrong. "Dipper," he said seriously, tone dark. I glanced over at Pacifica, who seemed torn between being cripplingly worried and utterly starstruck. I huffed, placing both hands on Bill's shoulders, shoving him downwards. "Sit," I muttered, and he did as I said without a word. He moved over to sit beside me, picking up the book and placing it at his side. That's when he seemed to notice the crumpled up sheet of paper, and he grabbed it before I could snatch it from him. He narrowed his eyes at me, an eyebrow raised. I shifted where I sat, looking down at the floor in slight embarrassment.

"Don't think I won't get to that in a second. Right now I just want to know what's up with you and haircut back there," Bill said, placing the paper at his side where I couldn't reach it if I tried.

I looked up at Pacifica, who smiled lightly as she sat down on my other side. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to explain what had happened. "So when Mabel and I first moved to town, she was in that phase where every guy is her soulmate," I said with a roll of my eyes. "And Gideon really liked her. The only problem was, he was an exception to that. Well, actually there's another problem, too... He's kiiinda completely insane. So he kept roping her into more and more dates, and she came to me for advice. Obviously I told her to just break it off, but she couldn't, so I told him off for her. He uh... didn't take it very well," I explained, voice quiet.

Bill scoffed, nudging me in the side. "Ah, the first of many to have their heart broken by you, Pine Tree. Real smooth," he joked in attempt to lighten the mood. I laughed, shoving him by his shoulder. "Shut up, man! I'm trying to tell a story here. I seriously couldn't make any of this up if I tried," I said with a grin on my face. That's when my expression dropped yet again, and I went back to what I had been saying. "Well, he uh... swore vengeance or whatever on me, and tried at least three times to um... get me out of the way, so to speak. So basically what I'm getting at here is he tried to murder me about four times before he finally came up with his 'master plan.'"

Bill was listening intently, somewhat taken for a loop when I mentioned the word murder. "Sounds like a pretty nice guy," he commented sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Pacifica and I. I really didn't want to go on, but I figured Bill had pretty much earned my trust at that point. So I did anyway. "Well, his master plan was to simply take Mabel away from me. He said I was poisoning her mind and making her think he was the bad guy. But I mean, it's not hard to come to that conclusion. I wasn't too worried about it. We always found our way out of trouble really easily back then, and a twelve year old with a blue suit on doesn't exactly sound threatening. Well... we probably should've been more careful, but we were really naive then," I continued, getting to the part I really didn't like talking about.

I rubbed my arm nervously. "Um, this part doesn't leave this room, okay?" I asked, and both Pacifica and Bill nodded. I closed my eyes for a moment to take a breath, then opened them again to keep going. "So one day, I woke up to find that she was gone. I ran all around town looking for her, and even went into the woods. No matter where I checked, it was like she had disappeared. A day went by, then another, and another. I wasn't sleeping, and the entire town was frantic trying to find her. And nobody would've guessed that Gideon had done it, except me. He was so well-loved by everyone that nobody believed me when I pointed the blame towards him. I got desperate, so I broke into his house that night. It wasn't hard. Wendy and her friends helped me. I found her in the basement of his house, and I stayed with her for at least an hour while she just... cried. Wendy and her friends had left by then. I told them they could go. What happened during the time she was missing has always been just between her and I," I said, keeping my gaze low.

Bill and Pacifica were both silent for a while. None of this information was new to Pacifica, but I knew she didn't like hearing about it, which I completely understood. I wouldn't like hearing about it either. I scoffed, tugging my hat down so it cast a shadow over my eyes. "That sounds like the kind of stuff you read in books, and you never think it could happen to you or anyone close to you. It happens to other people, but surely it won't happen to me, right? That's what I'd thought, but..." I choked out, my head against the wall behind me. I didn't want to look at Bill. He probably didn't believe me. He probably thought I was some sort of lunatic. "Well, what happened then?" he asked. I snapped my head towards him, puzzled. He just looked at me. "You said you stayed with her. Then what? You guys left, right? Did you report him?" he went on to ask, absorbed in the story I had told. I didn't quite know how to respond. I mean, I had expected to be written off like some sort of kid seeking his attention.

I fidgeted slightly, turning my head to face forward yet again. "I told her we should, but she was so scared and she just wanted to get past it. To let things return to normal. I couldn't get her to budge, and I wouldn't force her to do anything. What we did instead was let Gideon wake up to find her gone, and when he came to confront us, I told Mabel to stay in our room so I could get rid of him. I threatened him with the information. I knew that his DNA had to be all over the clothes she'd been wearing, and if the authorities knew where I'd found her, then they were sure to find even more evidence there. I told him to leave and never come back. I told him that if I ever saw him again, then I'd tell. Well, needless to say, he skipped town with the rest of his family after that. But now... he's back and Mabel's in danger again," I finished, head in my hands. I knew I should've told when I had the chance, but how could I do that to my sister?

Bill rested a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I looked over at him to see that he had a big grin on his face. "Pine Tree, if you could break into some snot nosed brat's house undetected when you were twelve just to rescue your sister, then he'd better be damn scared of you now. I mean, I think I probably would be," he said, chuckling at his own joke at the end. I smiled, feeling just a little bit better. He held up the paper from earlier. "And you know what, no more explanations. I'll put away that book of yours and throw this away on our way out. I think you could use a break today," he went on, standing up and holding out a hand. I took it, letting him help me to my feet without a word. Pacifica followed behind us.

"Bill's right, Dip. Things will be fine, I'm sure," she said reassuringly, nodding her head in agreement. I pocketed my hands, returning the nod. Bill leaned down and picked up what was on the floor. "You two go on. I'll get rid of this and put your dumb smart guy book up for you. We're probably all in deep trouble for running out of class, so I don't think another minute will make much difference," he said with a shrug. I nodded, opening up the door and letting Pacifica step out before me. I then followed after her, a new confidence in my abilities to keep Mabel safe building up. Maybe I had been right to accept Bill's offer, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 **(Dipper)**

I stepped through the door of the Mystery Shack with both Mabel and Bill directly behind me. I'd tried moving a bit faster to escape from all the questions Mabel had been asking about our date, but like the great guy Bill is, he gave her all the answers that I refused her. I huffed, ignoring her squealing as I strode past Stan to head into the living room. Passing by Ford, I gave a slight wave. "Oh, wait!" I heard him call. I stopped where I was at the bottom of the stairs. Bill and Mabel stopped as well. "Yeah?" I asked, stepping back into the living room.

Ford raised an eyebrow, pointing towards Bill. "New friend?" he questioned, and I could practically feel the smirk from Bill. I smiled nervously, jabbing my elbow into Bill's side. He hissed, rubbing the spot I'd hit him in slight annoyance. "Yeah. We're super behind on a project so I figured it'd be alright," I replied with a shrug. Ford nodded, leaning back in the recliner he sat on. "Alright, but don't forget about your chores. You know how Stanley gets," he said in exasperation, waving a hand towards the side of the house Grunkle Stan was working at. I sighed. "But I have things to do, and I always get stuck with the difficult cho-" I started, but Ford shook his head, pointing me in the opposite direction.

With a discouraged expression, I turned once again and trudged up the stairs. "What was that about?" Bill asked curiously, following me upwards. Mabel giggled. "Dipper hates his chores because Stan makes him do all the dumb ones," she said, poking me on my shoulder. I stopped once I reached the second floor of the house to turn and face her. "Yeah, because how many times have you fended off wild animals or tried fixing that stupid S on the roof?" I questioned bitterly, crossing my arms. Mabel grinned, shaking her head. "Never. Those aren't jobs for a lady," she said sassily, snapping. I rolled my eyes and Bill laughed. "Gender standards only matter when they get you out of doing things, huh?" I responded with a look of unamusement.

Mabel just nodded, flipping her hair and turning away from me. "Yup!" she exclaimed cheerily, skipping off towards her room. I did the same, turning towards my own room, Bill right behind me. "I could always stay a little longer and help with whatever," he offered, stepping through my door. I collapsed on my bed, in no real mood to even think about my awful chores. "You really don't want to do that. Plus, you probably have things to do at your own house," I replied, forcing myself to sit up against the head board. Bill shrugged, shaking his head. "Not really. It's always... quiet where I live," he responded, and for once, I noticed an edge to his tone. I found that odd. Nothing ever seemed to make Bill lose his cool, so this must be a pretty big issue. I was torn between wanting to know and understanding that people have boundaries and secrets.

But my curiosity got the better of me. "Do you not get along well with your parents?" I asked, pulling a tablet out of my backpack. Bill seemed about to sit down as well when I looked up and clearly saw that his body had stiffened up. Touchy subject, I thought to myself, raising an eyebrow. "Umm... That's not really important," he said awkwardly, bringing himself to finally sit beside me and open up his own bag. I knew that was clearly a line I probably shouldn't cross, but I decided that if I had to tell him stupid personal stories, then he should return the favor. I nudged him, pulling the paper up to look over what I already had done. "Come on. I know like, nothing about you," I said blandly, scribbling out some outdated information I'd used.

Bill sighed, leaning over my shoulder to take a look at what I was doing. "It's just... complicated, Pine Tree. I don't think you would really understand," he replied sullenly, and that definitely caught my attention. Both the tone and the words he had used. I snapped my head to the side to face him, ignoring the fact that with him over my shoulder the way he was, there was very little distance between us. He seemed caught off guard by my unusually bold demeanor, but still allowed me to speak anyway. "I won't understand? Are you serious right now? You owe me one after what I told you," I said with a bit of hostility. Bill shot me an expression that was either pained or conflicted, but I didn't really care. I knew I was wrong, but I also knew I was right in a way as well.

Bill brought a hand upwards to toy with the collar of his shirt. A nervous tick, I guessed. I found it odd that even someone as sly and sure of himself as Bill would have one. "I don't live with my parents..." he muttered, voice quiet and somewhat saddened. I smiled faintly, interested. "Yeah? I don't either, man. You've gotta elaborate more than that," I said, resisting the newfound urge to lean a little bit closer. Well, that's different... I pointed out inwardly, finding my thoughts and actions quite confusing, in more ways than one. Still, I ignored them so I could focus solely on what was happening in front of me.

With a shaking breath, Bill seemed to come to terms with my stubbornness. "I mean, I don't live with anyone. I'm all on my own, Pine Tree. No siblings, no parents, no family," he finally murmured somberly. I hummed in understanding. "That's rough. But hey, Mabel really likes you and I know Stan'll be sold on you as long as you buy a keychain or something on your way out. If you want, you can always just inherit my family," I responded jubilantly, not quite taking in the gravity of what I'd said. I didn't think about it, because I was so used to my close friends often seeing Stan, Ford, Mabel, and Soos as a second family. It didn't even click with me that what I'd said could've been seen as anything more meaningful.

Bill's eyes lit up, and I felt a small flutter. It was fleeting, barely noticeable, but I knew I'd felt it. I didn't mind it, though. It was a pleasant feeling, so I simply allowed it to occur. "Th-thanks..." he said incredulously, somewhat taken by surprise. I chuckled, giving in to the desire I had to move a little closer. There was a short few moments the both of us just stared at one another, and I once again felt nervousness creep up on me. What was I supposed to do then? Kiss him? Wait for him to kiss me? Or... I could back up, get to work, and pretend nothing had ever even happened, but I noticed the smugness return to Bill's expression. He had taken note of my quick switch in attitude.

I then decided my best option was the third one, and right as I was about to to turn, he placed a hand on my cheek. I felt like I was burning up. "What's wrong, Pine Tree? Nervous?" he questioned with feigned innocence. He moved his other hand upwards as well, sliding his fingers underneath my hat to pull it up off my head. For once, I didn't reach up to grab it, watching him in stunned silence. It was then that I noticed Bill was inching towards me. I felt my breath hitch, and he stopped unbearably close to actually kissing me. Electric blue pools pierced into me, and I felt that same flutter again, only stronger this time.

Azure eyes searched my own for a few moments, as if for permission. I didn't quite know how to convey that I didn't mind without speaking, and knowing me I'd say something stupid and ruin the moment. Nervous, I brought it upon myself to finish what had been started. I closed the gap between us, letting Bill be the shocked one this time. Although, it seemed his cool had been regained in only a split second, and the hand that had been resting on my cheek came up to comb through my hair. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy the sensation of Bill's lips against my own and his fingers lightly tugging at my sandy brunette hair.

I finally pulled myself away, opening my eyes to take in Bill's slightly stunned expression. I grinned in amusement, letting my head fall against his shoulder. "I think I just might be able to get used to that," I murmured, beginning to actually enjoy dating Bill, despite my insistence in my sexuality. He chuckled, letting the cap in the hand rested on the crook of my neck fall onto the bed. He then slid it downwards some, snaking his arm around my back. "Good, because I definitely can," he said jokingly, his head falling against my own. There was a moment of silence, and I used that time to wonder just how Bill had gotten by my barriers. I didn't have much time to think about it, though.

There was a high-pitched squeal of delight, and I whipped my head upwards faster than I probably should've. "Mabel?!" I exclaimed questioningly, tearing myself away from Bill. She stood right in the middle of my room, staring at me with stars in her eyes. "That was adorable!" she said, bouncing up and down. I then noticed the cell phone in her hand. "Mabel, you didn't..." I said, voice low and slightly fearful. She nodded, holding up the phone and dangling it near me. I shot out an arm to take it, but she was quicker and pulled it back. Bill just watched us in amusement and interest. I turned towards him, freaking out.

"Th-this is all your fault!"

"My fault? I'm not the only one that didn't notice your sister being creepy!"

"Yeah, but... You were closer so you should've seen her first..."

"Really, Pine Tree? That's what you're going with for an argument? Fine then; aren't you supposed to be the super observant, detective mystery whatever guy!?"

I shoved Bill and he fell back, laughing. "I can't catch everything, you prick," I huffed, crossing my arms and turning back to Mabel, who held her phone up. "You guys should just get married already," she teased, and her phone dinged. "Oh, and I just caught all of that on video. Blackmail!" I immediately jumped up from where I'd been sitting. "I will do literally anything if you delete that," I said desperately, but Mabel shook her head. She turned her phone off and shoved it into a stitched on pocket on her bright pink sweater. "Nope! I'm off to Pacifica's house to see what she thinks!" she said, doing a little cocky dance. She then took off down the stairs. Of course I followed behind her, leaving Bill still sitting in my room laughing his ass off about the entire situation.

Muttering to myself, I jotted down the last bit of important information I needed from my history book. Mabel had gotten away from me, and was probably giggling with Pacifica about how adorable Bill and I were. "Looks like we're all caught up," I huffed, dropping my pen on the pages. Bill hummed his agreement, leaning back against the head board of my bed. "Yeah. That was way too much work for one day," he said unhappily, closing his notebook and putting away his things in his bag. I noticed there seemed to be an order to how he organized his work when there hadn't been previously. I sniggered and he looked over. "What?" he asked, eyebrow raised questioningly.

I began putting my books away as well. "Nothing. I just noticed that someone actually took my advice," I said casually, though there was a mocking tone beneath. I sat my backpack down beside my bed, finding the change he'd made just a little amusing. Bill waved a hand, letting his bag fall to the floor carelessly. "What advice? I just got tired of losing things all the time," he said smugly, deflecting my previous statement back at me. But I was smarter than that. I rolled my eyes, nudging his side. "Or maybe you noticed how much it bothered me that you were so messy with your work and thought that being more organized would somehow make you more appealing. Nice try, man. You're just as annoying as you were before," I teased, knowing I was completely correct by the dumbfounded expression Bill wore.

There was a slight tint of red on his face, and I knew I had him in checkmate. That is, until a lopsided smirk spread across his face. "A few hours ago, I could've sworn you thought the exact opposite. And I'm sure Shooting Star and Blondie would agree with me," he retorted, eyes glittering mischeviously. I shrank down some, knowing fully well I had lost this one. "Yeah, whatever..." I mumbled, turning my head the other direction so I didn't have to face Bill. He scoffed, an arm draping over my shoulders. That was when I realized something. I looked up at him, an expression of interest on my face. Bill seemed curious as to why that was and remained silent, waiting for me to explain.

"You know, we're... dating, and the only personal information you've ever given me was that bit about living alone," I pointed out with a tilt of my head. I mean, I knew things. I was pretty quick to catch onto certain bits of his personality, habits, ticks, quirks, that stuff. In that aspect of Bill, I'd like to think I was pretty well-informed. Still, in terms of him past what I already knew about him as a person, there really was nothing. Bill brought up a hand to his chin in thought. A few moments passed, and he grinned at me. "Alright. I have an idea. I'll tell you a bunch of dumb personal stuff, but you have to return the favor. For everything I tell you, you have to tell me something," he suggested, sky blue eyes glittering deviously. "That way I'm not the only one embarrassing myself."

I gave it a bit of thought. It couldn't hurt. "I don't see why not," I replied with a shrug. Bill retracted the arm that was resting on my shoulders, leaning over his backpack to pull something out of it. "I think I'll start with something simple," he said with a faint laugh. I watched curiously, but Bill turned back towards me, embarrassment suddenly evident in his expression. "Close your eyes. And don't laugh, got it?" he said, eyes darting to the side. My eyebrows creased together quizzically, but I silently did as I was told. A few seconds passed, and I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "You can look now," Bill said somewhat reluctantly, anxiously. I found myself returning the feeling, and I hesitated before I opened my eyes. What could be so embarrassing that Bill didn't really want to show me? I got my answer pretty quickly.

I gasped. "Oh, my god. That is just perfect," I teased, holding back my laughter. Sitting on the bridge of Bill's nose was a pair of plastic black glasses, and they were just a little too big for his face. "You look like a geek!" I exclaimed, but realized my mistake in an instant and covered my mouth. Bill's face turned a bright crimson, and he sported a horribly mortified expression. He pulled the glasses off of his face, grumbling, but I reached out and took them with amusement. "Yeah, well I'm actually supposed to wear those every day... One of my eyes is a pretty hopeless case. The other isn't all that bad, but it's nowhere near perfect," he explained, watching me in interest as I fiddled with the frames of his glasses.

I held them up and looked through them, noticing the difference immediately. "Damn, man. You should really wear these more often. Every day, like you're supposed to. Or get contacts or surgery or something," I advised, bringing my gaze upwards to look at him. Bill shook his head vigorously, eyes wide. "Not going to happen. I can't stand that kind of stuff. These-" he gestured towards his eyes. "are strictly off limits for touching. And that includes things like contacts and death lasers. I'm perfectly content with my eye windows, thank you." I sighed, taking it that Bill had a fear of that stuff. I shrugged. "Then why don't you wear these, like you're supposed to?" I asked, holding up his glasses. Bill messed with the collar of his shirt yet again. So I had been right. A nervous habit.

"It's just like you said, Pine Tree. I look like a-" he started, but I cut him off. "A geek. Yeah, you do. But if what you're really worried about is your 'image', then I think that's pretty stupid," I interrupted, unconcerned with his argument. I watched as he fidgeted under my gaze. "Isn't your health more important to you? I mean, if you think your friends will stop talking to you because you have to wear something that'll improve your eyesight, then they obviously never liked you in the first place," I pointed out, being just a tad brutal in my statements. Bill blinked, staring at me incredulously. I chuckled good-naturedly, unfolding the glasses. "And if it makes you feel any better," I began yet again, holding them up and pushing them over his ears. "I actually like them."

There was a long pause. Bill just looked at me through the black frames, mouth slightly agape. He closed it, smiling jubilantly. I scoffed, returning the expression. "That's a good look for you," I said, glancing downwards before bringing my gaze back up towards him. Bill tilted his head to the side some. "The glasses?" he inquired, pointing at the specs over his eyes. I shook my head and shifted anxiously. "No... I-I meant the smile," I said quietly, my cheeks burning a little. Bill seemed confused, so I decided to explain. "You always have this really arrogant, better than everyone else look on your face. That's actually why I didn't like you as soon as you walked up to me a few weeks ago, but... I think this suits you more," I went on nervously. Bill hummed in understanding, amused by my shyness.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said in a fond voice, eyes clear and affectionate through his lenses. I shifted restlessly, my chest tightening up some. "I-I guess it's my turn to tell you something," I stammered, tugging at the sleeve of my sweatshirt. I figured I'd end up telling him about this anyway, so why not now? Bill nodded his head, the glasses he wore sliding down his nose some. I chuckled, raising a hand to push them back up. He muttered to himself, grumbling about how dorky he must've looked. Still, he kept his eyes on me, waiting intently for me to reveal what I had to tell him. That's when I heard Stan calling me from downstairs. "Dipper! You were supposed to do your chores hours ago!" he yelled from the first floor. I cringed, getting up off my bed.

"Coming!" I responded, masking my annoyance. I then looked over at Bill, who seemed disappointed. He sighed, snapping his fingers in defeat before leaning over and picking up his backpack. I laughed. "I guess that means it's time for you to head home. I can handle this stuff here on my own," I said, holding out a hand to help him up. Bill took it and stood up. "Alright, I'll go. But you've gotta tell me eventually," he replied, letting go of my hand. I nodded, stepping towards the door. I opened it up, striding out into the hallway and down the stairs. Bill followed behind me. "See ya," I said, pivoting on my heel to face him. Bill nodded, grinning. "I'll see you tomorrow, Pine Tree," he replied, making his way out into the gift shop side of the house. He then stopped, looking back at me with a warm smile playing on his lips.

"I'll be sure to buy a keychain on my way out."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 **(Dipper)**

Yet another text from Pacifica. I didn't even bother looking at it. I knew after reading the first one that it was just her going on and on about Bill and I like a crazy person. I rolled onto my side, closing my eyes to attempt falling asleep. Of course that was impossible. Not even thirty seconds later, my phone's screen lit up and an image of Pacifica when she was like, fourteen appeared. Groaning, I reached out and grabbed it. I pressed the answer button and brought the phone up to my ear. "What?" I questioned impatiently, uninterested in listening to her squealing about how cute a couple she thought Bill and I were.

"Ooh, someone's picking up an attitude," she teased, and I could practically hear the smug smirk she had to be wearing. I huffed, pressing the speaker button and sitting the phone down next to me. "If this is what I think it-" I started, but I was interrupted by her voice. "It's not, I promise! But... I kiiinda need you to come here and pick up Mabel," she started awkwardly, and that certainly caught my attention. I hummed, signalling to her that I was listening. "I'd take her, but it's past my curfew and my parents already don't like you or Mabel. Plus..." she went on, voice trailing off at the end.

I raised an eyebrow, sitting up in my bed. I picked up my phone yet again, turning speaker off so there was no possibility of anyone else in the Shack hearing her. "How sober are you, Pacifica?" I asked, glancing over at my clock. It read as 11:42, which definitely wasn't a time at night I wanted to leave the house. Pacifica hesitated. "Ehh... So-so?" she answered questioningly. I smacked the palm of my hand against my forehead, and Pacifica giggled. "You seriously need to stop letting Mabel convince you to raid your parents winery," I hissed, standing up. I stepped over to the opposite wall and flicked the light on. I had eventually convinced Stan to wire the place so Mabel and I could have electricity in the attic. It was honestly a miracle he said yes.

"I know! But it's just so tempting, and she's very persuasive!" Pacifica exclaimed, and I chuckled. She probably didn't realize the connotations of what she'd just said, or she simply didn't care. A drunk Pacifica is an honest Pacifica; that I had come to know pretty quickly. "I see," I said knowingly, doing nothing to hide my sly tone. "Well, if that's the case, why don't you just let her stay the rest of the night?" I asked, and there was a long pause over the phone. She seemed to think about it for a moment, but I doubt it really clicked in her clouded mind. "Because... you know. She's so- Mabel, stop that!" she yelled, and I heard my sister laughing in the background.

Mabel said something I'd prefer to forget in a tone I hadn't even thought she could convey. "Yeah, listen to my fun wrecker of a brother and let me stay! If you do then I'll make you fee-" My face flushed, and I interrupted her sentence with my own. "I'm on my way," I said, hanging up the phone. I tossed it onto my bed, stepping over to my closet and throwing on a jacket. I sighed, opening my door and stepping into the hallway. I made my way down the stairs silently, then snuck into the gift shop. I thought I was doing pretty well until the light switched on. "Kid, what're you doin?" Grunkle Stan demanded from behind me, and I turned to face him with a serious expression on my face.

"I'm going out past curfew to sneak all the way across town and pick up my drunk twin at Northwest Manor," I responded honestly, stone-faced. A few seconds passed, and Stan and I just looked at one another. He shrugged, uninterested. "Sounds fine to me. Remember, if the cops catch you-" he began, stopping for me to finish the sentence. "Then I make up a sob story about what a great student I am and how I was just trying to help my delinquent of a sister out of trouble," I finished blandly, knowing the drill by now. Stan nodded, impressed. "Good on ya, kid. You're goin places. Jail, possibly, but that's a place, right?" he joked, pressing the light switch yet again. I scoffed, watching him turn and go back into the other room. I spun around towards the door, opening it up and striding outside.

Here we go again...

(Bill)

"Pine Tree, you look like a zombie. What happened?" I asked, leaning down over the table to examine his face. Dipper grumbled, way too tired to even respond correctly. Pacifica groaned, holding her head in her hands. I chuckled, sliding into the seat beside his. "Ohh, I see what's going on. Hungover, eh? I never expected you of all people to drink at your age," I teased, nudging him in his side. Dipper forced himself to sit up, shaking his head. "I didn't. They did," he hissed, pointing between Pacifica and his sister, who was sitting at the same table for once. "I had to sneak out last night and bring her home, which took way longer than it should've because she couldn't even see straight. I drank like four cups of coffee this morning but I'm still exhausted. It's a wonder I'm even here," he explained bitterly, letting his head fall against the table again.

I scoffed, throwing my arm around him and pulling him back up. He didn't fight me, quietly allowing it to happen. I guessed he simply didn't give a damn because of how tired he was. "That's too bad because I-" I stopped, noticing the suited teen walking towards us. I narrowed my eyes, and I felt Dipper stiffen up some. "What do you want, Gideon?" he demanded. I retracted my arm, bringing it back to my side. "Such hostility. I am only here to claim what is rightfully mine," he replied coolly. I was about to make a comment when Mabel beat me to it.

"I'm not yours, Gideon. I don't like you, so just go away. Nobody here is in any mood to listen to your bullshit," she growled, chin resting on her hand. I couldn't see her eyes through the sunglasses she had on, but I took a guess and figured they were probably blazing. I certainly hadn't expected her of all people to speak like that. Her head must've hurt really badly. Gideon's eyes widened, and his face was red with anger. He turned towards Dipper and I, fuming. "What foul lies!" he yelled, earning a few looks from people in the cafeteria. I glanced at Dipper, whose jaw was clenched shut. The white-haired male leaned over the table, directly in his face."You have brainwashed my poor, sweet peach dumplin into believing such bilge! I will have my vengeance, Dipper Pines, and you will regret ever putting yourself between my dear Mabel and I!" he hissed, and more people took notice.

Dipper's entire body seemed to tremble with rage, and I could tell it took all he had not to lash out at Gideon right then. I placed a hand on his wrist, holding it back. "I think you should really keep your threats to yourself. That's a good way to make enemies," I said menacingly, and he turned his attention towards me. He laughed, which caught the interest of Henry and his friends. They looked over, puzzled once they noticed what was happening. "You just don't know how to mind your manners and stay out of conversations that don't concern you, huh? Oh, but that's alright, because I know just how to deal with pests such as yourself and Dipper here," he said innocently, spinning around and leaving once again. There was a long silence, and people around us seemed to go back to what they were doing. "I really hate that guy," I finally said, and everyone at the table seemed to agree.

The rest of the day went by peacefully. Although Dipper was somewhat dead in class, I think things went pretty smoothly. We were behind once again, but it wasn't like I minded at all. That was just another excuse to hang out with him outside of school, which always made Dipper warm up to me a bit more. Something told me I was pretty close to my goal of getting him to fall in love with me, so I was pretty confident about that. I tried not to think about what came afterwards, though. I'd probably have to play it off like some sort of joke and dump him as if it didn't matter to me. I'd get the money from Henry and that'd be it. I wouldn't be able to tease him or run my fingers through his hair or kiss him ever again, because after everything's said and done, he'll probably wish I was dead.

I sighed, putting away my notes and books. I glanced at Dipper, who yawned, sitting back in his seat. Maybe I hadn't quite gotten him to fall for me yet, but I knew I was practically spinning in the palm of his hand. "You alright?" he asked, standing up in his seat. I looked up. "You've been spacing out a lot since class started." I nodded, picking up my bag and getting up as well. Dipper seemed unconvinced, but he smiled anyway, dropping the subject. He pressed his index finger against my forehead, eyes glimmering. "So your house today?" he inquired boldly despite the slight unsureness of his words. He was clearly way too tired for his own good, but I didn't mind the newfound forwardness. It was honestly pretty damn cute.

"Sure. I've got nothing but time to kill," I replied, leading the way outside. "But wouldn't you rather go home and sleep?" I asked, walking backwards so I could look at him. Dipper shrugged. "Believe me, I would if I could. It's way too noisy during the day, though. Stan is very... passionate about his work. And Mabel will probably be trying to bedazzle the inside of Waddles' ears again, so needless to say, it's a pointless effort," he explained with an exasperated sigh. I nodded in understanding, though one thing did have me curious. "Who's Waddles, and what kind of name is that anyway?" I asked, brow raised. That was when I felt hands place themselves on my shoulders. Shocked, I froze, just about giving myself a heart attack right there. I looked back, breathing a sigh of relief.

Mabel stood on her tiptoes so she could rest her chin on my shoulder. "He's the bestest best good pig on the planet!" she exclaimed just a little too loudly so close to my ears. I laughed. What a colorful family Dipper had; a crazy sister, a criminal and a psychologist for uncles, a very strange yet somehow lovable handy man that isn't actually family, and a pet pig. Really, someone needs to write all this down and turn it into a t.v. show. I looked over at Dipper, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. "We also have a goat!" Mabel went on cheerfully, swaying back and forth some. She gasped, glancing over at her brother with a devillish glint in her eyes. "Oh, and speaking of animals, did you know that Dipper used to do the lamby dance when he was little? Mom used to dress him up like a-"

A book whipped by my head, just missing me by a hair. And Mabel was smart enough to duck behind me to keep from getting hit. I blinked, somewhat stunned. I felt someone grab at my arm and yank me away from Mabel. She was laughing hysterically at that point, chanting, "Lamby lamby!" over and over. "Do you have to tell everyone about the lamby dance?!" Dipper hissed, cringing just about every time she said the word he hated so much. I didn't speak at all, taken aback by the entire situation. Something must be horribly embarrassing for him to be that upset about it. I smirked knowingly, allowing Dipper to keep a hold on my arm as he leaned down to pick up the book he'd thrown.

He began tugging me along, leading me out of the school building. "Relax, Pine Tree. It's nothing to be so sheepish over," I said oh-so subtly, trying in vain to keep a straight face. Dipper spun around, face scarlet in embarrassment. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't say anything, clearly at a loss for words. "Just lead the way," he muttered, crossing his arms. I chuckled, pointing towards a black car in the parking lot. He turned his head to see it, eyes large. "Of course you have a car... How rich are you, anyway?" he asked incredulously, looking back up at me with interest.

I let my head tilt from side to side, considering it. "I'm pretty well off," I responded, pulling my keys out of my pocket. Dipper hummed, eyes narrowed at the ground slightly, as if insecure about his family not being quite so wealthy. I shrugged. "It's really not all it's cracked up to be, Pine Tree," I said, stepping towards the car and unlocking it. He opened the door, sliding inside and sitting down, an embarrassed expression on his face. "You say that, but..." he muttered quietly, running his fingers along his seatbelt before buckling it. I sat down in my own seat, inserting the key and turning it. "If you're getting all self conscious, then don't. I'm set financially, but I also live alone, in a big dark house on the edge of town. I'd give an arm to have what you've got, stupid," I said without my usual conceited tone.

The drive to my place started, and I began thinking about my words a little bit more. "You know... Crazy siblings that tell humiliating stories about me, and set me up on dates with people I barely even know. Parents that are around all the time to annoy me," I went on a bit sadly. Dipper was silent, and I looked over at him, worried that I had touched a nerve. He had this amazed yet sympathetic look, his large round eyes spiraling with thoughts I couldn't decipher. I brought my attention back towards the road. "Oh... I'm sorry," he murmured apologetically, picking at his fingernails nervously. I smiled, turning the car to the left. "Nah, it's nothing to be all upset about, Pine Tree. I'm fine, aren't I?" I questioned jokingly, eyes on the road.

Dipper was quiet the rest of the way there. I didn't mind, though. It wasn't all that long a drive anyway. I stood up, stretching out my limbs until a slight popping noise ensued. I reached in the car, grabbing my bag and shutting the door. "Why were you so insistent on coming here anyway? There really isn't much to look at," I said, leading the way up to my door. He grinned, following after me. "They say you learn a lot about a person from their room," he explained, stepping inside. I rolled my eyes. "I guess I learned that you're a geeky book nerd with way too many papers lying around then, eh? But that's all stuff I already knew," I pointed out, pulling my glasses out of my bag and sitting it down. I put them on, looking over at the brunette from across the room.

He held up a picture frame, eyes tracing every small detail like it was some sort of mystery that he needed to solve. "What'cha got there?" I asked, pocketing my hands. He looked up at me, turning the frame for me to see. I recognized the photo immediately. It was a picture of me when I was really young. I was sitting atop my dad's shoulders, very excitedly watching fireworks go off. I couldn't have been more than three or four. Mom was behind the camera, if I recalled correctly. She had always loved taking pictures, so she was rarely in them. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. Everyone in town had gathered around Northwest Manor to watch them set off fireworks for the fourth of July. I don't really remember much, though," I explained fondly, reminiscing.

Dipper placed it back down on the shelf he'd seen it on. "Was that your dad?" he asked, turning and looking at the other photos on display. I shrugged. "Yeah. Doesn't look much like me, does he?" I inquired, still unable to find all that many similarities between us based on pictures I've seen of him. Dipper turned his head to stare at me skeptically. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you joking? How do you not see it?" he questioned in response, holding up yet another picture with my dad in it. I didn't respond, unsure of what to really say. "Besides his hair being black, it's all you. The eyes, the annoyingly long legs, everything. You've even got the same obnoxious grin," Dipper pointed out, waving the frame in front of my eyes like that would help me see what he was talking about.

I took the picture, examining it some. "I guess..." I finally conceded, still not quite catching on to any similarities. I then walked a little bit closer to Dipper, sitting the photograph back down. "I never asked but... where are your parents?" I wondered aloud, eyes scanning the various pictures of my mother, father, and I. It had been a long time since I'd actually bothered to look at them, let alone examine the little details of their appearances. The way Mom's platinum blonde hair glittered in the sunlight. The way Dad was always wearing a button-down shirt and tie. I took a deep breath. Dipper always had this pleasant way of making me think about things I otherwise wouldn't.

Most of the time I just thought about the argument I'd had with Mom before she left, the slamming door, and the eerie quiet that had come afterwards and persisted in my everyday life. And I didn't have enough memories of my father to really remember him fondly. So I always thought of his death, the car crash that had claimed him. I thought of the grudge I held towards whoever had hit him, and how he'd still be here today had they only been a better driver. Mom had told me many times that I wasn't really me after he had died.

"Home. They came to pick Mabel and I up at the end of the summer when we were twelve. But they said being here had a positive impact on us, and asked if we wanted to stay. We were of course all for the idea," he said, looking up at the ceiling. I nodded, listening intently. "They sent us everything we would need to stay here and that was it. They come by from time to time, but Stan and Ford and maybe even Soos became like our parents. I guess it should've been upsetting that they were so quick to get rid of us, but Mabel and I like it here. It's our home, you know?" he finished, turning his gaze on me, and I got caught up in his dazzling sea foam green eyes.

"Earth to Bill...? Hey, are you paying attention?" he asked, a hand on his hip impatiently. I chuckled, coming back to reality. "I'm always paying attention to you, Pine Tree," I cooed, stepping forward and snaking my arms around his waist, pulling him close to me. Dipper's eyes shot to the side and his cheeks were flushed in embarrassment. He stammered, searching for words to say, but nothing seemed to come out right. I leaned down, letting my forehead press against his. "Really, you should feel pretty damn special. Nobody else catches my eye quite like you do," I went on softly, keeping my eyes locked with his, which were examining me curiously, scanning every detail of me.

He smiled pleasantly, gesturing a hand towards the stairs. "I... Wow, um..." He sighed. "You wanna go and actually do our work then?" he inquired sullenly, leaning his body back against the wall directly behind him. It seemed he was about to say something, but psyched himself out of it pretty quickly. Disappointed, I let my hands fall back to my sides with a nod. I turned and stepped towards the couch on the other side of the room. Then I stopped. What was that? I thought to myself, glancing at my window. I could've sworn I'd seen something blue flash outside. Had I simply imagined it? I shook my head, picking up my bag and spinning to face Dipper once again. He seemed to be thinking about something, lost in his daydreaming. I strode over to him and tapped his forehead with my index finger. "You awake?" I teased, and he snapped back into reality.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. Let's go," he said, and I led the way up the stairs. He followed behind me and into my room, which was surprisingly clean. I had forgotten that I'd actually bothered to put things where they go the day before. He sat down on my bed, up against the head board. I sat down beside him, opening up my bag. He yawned, doing the same. "Tired?" I asked sarcastically, pulling out a textbook. He gave a slight nod, pressing the palms of his hands against his eyes. "You already know the answer to that, stupid," he replied playfully, pulling out his own supplies.

I scoffed, getting to work on my part of the project. A few minutes went by, maybe an hour. I was unsure, but it was nice nonetheless. "You should probably do the report. I'll do the presentation and the model because-" I felt a weight on my shoulder. Silent, I looked over to see Dipper with his head against my arm and his eyes closed. His hand still grasped his pencil, but it was frozen in place where he'd left off in the middle of a sentence. I sighed, picking up his things and putting them away for him. Dipper shifted, letting his pencil drop and bringing up a hand to grab at my sleeve. I rolled my eyes affectionately, leaning back and letting him sleep with his body propped up against my side. "Well, so much for getting ahead," I murmured, not really minding it in the least.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

 **(Dipper)**

I stood at my locker, checking to be sure I had everything I needed for class. Mabel stood at my side, poking me in the ribs repeatedly. I didn't mind it, though. She did that all the time. "Sooo, how have things been between you and Bill the past few weeks?" she asked, tugging at my jacket's hood. I closed my locker, turning to face her. "Fine," I said, holding back a grin. Mabel jumped up and down joyfully, hearts in her eyes. "How fine is fine? And how genius am I? Have you guys said 'I love you' yet? Oh, please tell me you've said it! And how damn good a kisser is-" she was talking way too fast for me to follow her rambling. I smacked my hand against her mouth to silence her, but she just raised an eyebrow. I felt something wet against my palm and immediately pulled it back.

"Ugh, gross..." I muttered, wiping my hand on my jeans. She giggled, looking at me for answers expectantly. I sighed, deciding to channel my inner Mabel and answer as quickly as possible. "Fine is fine. Uh, pretty genius. No we haven't. And that-" I started slyly, turning and heading off towards my next class. "Is for me to know and you to never find out." Mabel squealed, following behind me. "So he's pretty great, right? Bill seems like he'd be a really good kisser. You should totally tell me. I need to know these things, bro-bro. It isn't very nice to keep secrets from your sister! Come on! If you don't tell me then I know a certain blonde that will~" she cooed, grinning like a maniac.

I raised my hands up in defeat. I knew she was right. Bill had zero shame when it came to those kinds of things. "Alright alright! So pushy..." I muttered, crossing my arms. I stopped walking, just noticing the fact that the hallway had emptied already. We seemed to be the only people still there, besides Gorney, who was desperately trying to yank the bottom of his shirt out of his locker. Why he didn't just open it was beyond me. I looked down at the ground, then back up at my sister. I opened my mouth to tell her what she wanted to know with as few details as possible. She'd no doubt fill in the blanks for me anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if she had some kind of blog dedicated to stuff like this. Actually, I was pretty sure she did.

I was about to say something when I heard laughter coming from behind me. I was sure I knew who the voice belonged to. It was so disgustingly familiar. I began to turn around when something crashed into the side of my head. Eyes wide with horror, I crumpled to the ground. "D-Dipper?!" I heard Mabel yell. She collapsed onto her knees in front of me, reaching out her hands to inspect the damage. I sat up, grasping my head in my own hands. "What was that...?" I croaked, a throbbing pain in my temple. She looked over my shoulder, eyes narrowed contemptuously.

She scooted over to my side some, outstretching a hand to pick up whatever had hit me. "Oh, broseph... This is..." she seemed unable to say it. Her eyes flicked up towards me and she grabbed my wrist, placing the object in my palm. Confused, I held it up. A round, dusty gray stone. There was a red smudge on it where it had collided with the side of my head. It was likely a wonder I hadn't been knocked out. Still, that wasn't what left me speechless. Written in capital letters across the smooth surface was a word I never thought I'd ever be called. A word I dreaded, despised. 'FAGGOT'. My mouth hung agape, stunned and arrantly horrified.

I looked up, and my eyes met the identical ones belonging to Mabel. She wore a hurt and suddenly somber expression. "Dipper, that's harassment. We should tell the principal, a teacher, something," she said, taking the rock from my hand. I shook my head, forcing myself to stand. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mabs. All that happened was I tripped and banged my head. And now I should probably go to the nurse's office. It feels like I'm bleeding," I replied, stumbling a bit. I was suddenly really dizzy, but I did my best to keep myself steady. Mabel knew what I was doing, and she clearly didn't agree with it. Still, she pocketed the stone and rushed to my side, helping keep me upright on my wobbling legs.

The bell rang, signalling that we were late. Neither of us paid it any mind as she assisted me in hobbling painstakingly towards the nurse's office. Once I stepped through the door, the bored looking woman at her desk glanced up. She took one look at me and sprang up from her seat quickly. She darted over to me, grabbing my face and tilting my head so she could inspect the wound. "What happened?" she asked worriedly, lightly touching the spot I had been hit. I flinched, but didn't complain. "I just tripped is all..." I replied quietly, not enjoying the disapproving glare Mabel was shooting towards me.

The nurse instructed me to sit down on the bed in the corner, and I did as I was told silently. I watched her take out various supplies for treating the cut on my head. I pulled my cap off and toyed with it. "Thank you for bringing him here, but you should probably head back to class. Just tell your teacher that you were here and I'm sure they'll understand," the woman said, lightly shaking a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Mabel nodded, glimpsing over at me with her annoyingly sad eyes. Why did that make me feel bad? It was my choice. I just wanted to forget about it.

She sighed, turning away and leaving. I hoped to god she didn't decide to tell Bill or Pacifica about the entire situation. The nurse pivoted on her heels to face me, supplies in hand. She sat them down on the bed beside me, leaning down to press a small wet cloth against my head. I hissed in pain. There must've been alcohol on it, because it stung like hell. I hated going to doctor's offices and hospitals. It was always the worst experience for me, even when it was something as small as this. "Do you feel nauseous or dizzy at all, like you might be sick?" the woman asked, pulling the cloth off the throbbing wound. I shook my head, watching her as she reached over and grabbed at a square bandage and started unwrapping it.

"I did feel wobbly earlier, but that's it," I said honestly. She hummed, lifting up my bangs and gently pushing the bandage against my head. "Then you don't have a concussion, but you still shouldn't push yourself too much the rest of the day. You should go straight home and rest," she advised, pulling one of her hands away from me. Her other one stayed where it was, thumb tracing the mark on my forehead lightly. "What a strange pattern..." she said softly, brows creased together. I looked away, blushing in embarrassment. "People tend to think so," I replied, running my fingers along the rim of my hat awkwardly.

The nurse laughed, smoothing my hair back down and standing up. "Strange is a good thing. Keeps people on their toes; keeps them guessing," she said, leaning over and picking up her supplies. She stepped over to the very organized white shelves to put them back where they belonged. I watched her in slight amazement, caught off guard by the compliment. People usually made the same joke regarding my name every time they saw it. She turned her head back to look at me from the shelves across the room. Her expression was suddenly not quite so cheerful. "And speaking of strange occurrences, what really happened to your head?" she asked, a worried edge to her tone.

I shook my head, a nervous smile plucking at my lips. "I already told you what happ-" but her knowing stare cut me off. I sighed, a hand over the bandage. "How'd you know?" I asked, eyes low to the ground. The woman smiled, her long obsidian hair swaying behind her as she stepped towards me. "I have this thing called 'a woman's intuition', and it sounds like I was right on the mark with it. Really, you men should listen to us more often. We know what we're talking about," she teased, sitting down in a blue swivel chair. She let it glide over to be directly in front of me. I chuckled at the comment she'd made, although I still wasn't sure about telling her what really happened.

She pressed a finger to her lips. "I swear secrecy, if that makes you feel any better. And hey, I'll tell you a few embarrassing things about me if that helps!" she said all too quickly, reminding me a bit of my insane sister. "Let's see.. My last name is Donovan now but my maiden name is actually Nympho! Just imagine all of the attention I got when my email address was quite aptly Nymphomaniac22. When I was little, I wanted to be a crazy cat lady because boys are icky and cats make better snugglers anyway. Oh, and I actually do have a cat. His name is Pootwad because my husband insisted upon it," she went on and on, laughing at her own stories. I joined her, finding her energy and lack of shame amusing. "See, kid! Strange is a wonderful thing. Makes people a little more colorful, don'cha think?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.

I found myself more relaxed around her. She was fun and out there, but also seemed really laid back. I liked that. "Yeah," I replied, putting my cap back on. She grinned, an expectant look in her russet eyes. I sighed. "You promise this stays between us?" I asked, reluctant. Mrs. Donovan nodded, crossing her heart. I glanced down at the ground, then back up at her. I recounted the entire story. I told her about the stone, what it said, the laughter. I even went out of my way some to tell her about dating Bill and the high level of confusion that came with that. I finished, watching her for a few moments.

She had a hand on her chin, thinking very deeply. Her eyes were narrowed at nothing in particular, and she had crossed her legs. "Young love is a very dangerous thing," she eventually said. I blinked, unsure what I was supposed to say to that. Her eyes flicked towards me, cheerful but still somewhat serious. "I'm sure you've heard of the caste system in India. Social status in high school is a lot like that. There are the nobles and priests, which are high on the ladder. The popular kids fall somewhere along those lines. And I'm guessing this boy you've been dating is up there with them. But the lowest rung of the ladder, the dorky kids that don't really follow the crowd. They are a lot like the untouchables, and you have the displeasure of being one of them," she explained, but I still found myself confused.

"Ya see, dating outside of your circle is like a taboo. And you, my friend-" she pointed towards me. "have committed one. It doesn't help that you're dating another boy, either. Teenagers are vicious, and they're always on the prowl for flaws or abnormalities. It's a shame, but no matter where you go, people are going to judge you. They're going to continue doing things like this, kicking you while you're down and pouring salt on your wounds," she said, the playful glint in her eye disappearing to reveal the truth behind her words. I looked down, scratching at my fingernails. "But guess what, kid," she went on, standing up. I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"It's going to get better. Social status never really goes away, but people stop caring so much once you get older. Unless you magically become a celebrity, then you should really kiss your privacy goodbye," she said with a laugh, pushing her chair back towards her desk. "My point here is you're going to wade through a lot of shit before you reach your goals. The same can be said about a lot of things. If anything, you should thank the guys being jerks to you now, because you'll be a lot better for it later." I thought about her words for a bit. Once they fully sunk in, I grinned and stood up from where I'd been on the bed. "I appreciate it, Mrs. Donovan," I said thankfully, turning towards her.

She waved a hand dismissively, leaning over a small green slip of paper. "Oh, nobody calls me that. It's Penelope. And your name is...?" she asked, holding her pen over a line on the slip. "Dipper Pines," I responded. She printed my name down on the paper with a faint giggle. "Of course it is," she cooed, standing up straight and holding the slip out towards me. "Weird. I like it." I took the paper with a nod, turning towards the door. I don't know what it was about her that I'd liked so much, but something told me I'd see a lot more of her after this first encounter. "Thanks, uh... Penelope," I said, opening the door. She waved, sitting back down in her chair and resuming whatever she'd been doing before I came in. I headed off towards class yet again, a new feeling of positivity making itself evident in my expression.

I stood at the front of the class. It was my turn to present the project Bill and I had been working on for the past month. I had insisted upon being the one to do so because despite what some might believe based on my appearance, I was actually pretty good at speaking in public. Maybe it was because once I get invested in something, I become extremely passionate about it. So I went through my entire speech, adding bits and pieces here and there, and pointing towards the display whenever I needed to make a point or simplify details. I knew I was in my element, and if we didn't pass with flying colors, then I'd probably flip a table. I mean, I had been more than a little bit thorough in my research. I had practically learned the entire history of a country in one month just for a project.

Once I finished, I stared out at the class. Pacifica had a grin on her face. It looked like she was about to laugh at my nerdiness, which I had pretty much come to expect from her. Other kids seemed uninterested, but also grateful I had taken my time so they could sit and finish whatever they hadn't already. Gideon was just staring at me with cold hatred, but I wrote it off as him just being the annoying little gremlin he was. Bill's jaw was slightly ajar, and he was clearly amazed by my performance. I beamed, stepping over to my desk and sitting down. The teacher moved my display out of the way to make room for the next student's presentation.

"Damn, Pine Tree. I didn't know you had that in you," Bill whispered, turning his head to face me. I scoffed, keeping my eyes on the nervous wreck of a girl at the front of the class. "One thing I will never understand is the fear of public speaking," I said quietly, chin resting on my hand. I glanced over at Bill. He had this starstruck look of admiration. Like it was some sort of impossible feat to be so laid back in front of people. "That was seriously awesome. You sold that whole thing up there, man. I guess living with a guy that swindles people for a career has its perks, huh?" he pointed out teasingly.

I chuckled softly, glancing over at Bill's face. He had a small smile playing on his lips that sent a bit of a current down my spine. "Yeah," I agreed, letting my eyes fall back towards the front of the room. The short, red headed girl stood beside her display, stuttering like she had no idea what she was talking about. I sincerely doubted she did. I huffed from my nose, bored and finding it difficult to follow the girl's ramblings. "You know, you still haven't told me what happened," Bill said after a moment. I blinked in confusion. "What?" I questioned almost inaudibly, but he seemed to hear me just fine.

"Your head, Pine Tree," he responded in a whisper. I turned my head to look at him, eyes expressing my slight horror. This time it was him that wasn't facing me. "O-oh. It's nothing really. I just bumped it, that's all," I said in a hushed voice, feeling the tips of my ears begin to burn. I knew I didn't sound all that convincing, but it was all I could think to say right then. Bill's eyes flicked towards the clock in the opposite corner. He didn't respond. I felt dread welling up inside me. I knew he didn't believe me, but I chose not to push it. With a blank stare, I watched the girl dart towards her seat and sit down, looking pale and even a bit nauseous.

A few minutes passed and the bell finally rang. With no need to pick up any of my things, I simply grabbed my bag and stood up. I glanced over at Bill, who was typing away on his phone. "You coming?" I asked, choosing to forget our previous conversation. I smiled weakly when his gaze flitted towards me. My expression then fell flat when he looked back at his phone. "You can go on without me," he replied blankly, pressing a button on the screen of what appeared to be an iPhone... 6 maybe? I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. He was mad at me for lying. He knew something was up. But was I not entitled to my privacy? "Okay," I said somberly, turning and heading off in the opposite direction.

I knew I was sulking over nothing. It really was my business alone, but I understood his worry. I probably would have been angry at him or Mabel for being secretive, especially if I believed someone had harmed them. And clearly that's what he thought. Or rather, knew. I sighed heavily, making my way towards the main entrance. I took my time, purposely keeping up a slow pace in hopes of running into Mrs. Donovan. I really needed some feminine advice right then, and was far too prideful to seek her out or speak to Mabel about it. I just wanted her to tell me to man up and tell Bill what happened. But he seemed like he had an easy to set off temper, at least based on what I'd seen of him. I didn't want him to find whoever threw the rock and hurt them. I just wanted to be done with it, because as much as I hated the word and the person who threw it and the situation, I was over it all.

But unfortunately, I never came into contact with the eccentric school nurse. Stepping outside, I saw Mabel waiting for me. She pocketed her phone and looked up at me with a friendly grin. "Hey bro. What's up? Headache?" she asked, still smiling, although it had taken on a tentative look. I shook my head, shoving my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt blandly. "If you say so. Hey, where's..." her voice cut off. I thought for a moment that something was bothering her, but she started beaming incredibly. I always marveled at how adorable her smile was, especially after her braces had been removed. We were twins, but Mabel was no doubt the better looking of the both of us.

"You okay there, dumb dumb?" I asked teasingly, dropping my somber attitude and letting myself get infected with her peppy one. She nodded her head happily, eyes not quite on me. I raised an eyebrow, spinning on my heel to face whatever it was she was looking at. But before I even had any idea as to what was going on, I had been swept up into what was probably the greatest hug of my life. I staggered backwards some, but being held the way I was, there was no possible way for me to fall. "B-Bill?" I questioned in shock, eyes going wide. His head was buried into my neck, arms wound tightly around my body. I wondered briefly how he had gotten to me so fast, and how he had done so in complete silence. The most important question was, however, "Why?" I asked the question innocently, curiously.

Bill held me tighter, almost uncomfortably so. Still, I had no complaint. I felt Mabel's excited and fulfilled grin burning into the back of my head. "Shooting Star told me," Bill murmured, his breath against my neck. I tried to ignore that, however, and focus solely on what was being said. Of course she had. That's why he had been on his phone, and why Mabel had been as well. I hummed, bringing my own arms up to return the embrace. I readjusted myself so my forehead was pressed against his shoulder. I breathed in, Bill's cologne tickling my nose. It was somewhat bitter, yet still sweet enough to not be choking or overwhelming. Needless to say, I liked it a lot. It was simple and extravagant all at once. It was totally Bill.

He pulled back some, hands coming up to rest on each of my shoulders. There was a worried and yet furious look on his face, his lips forming a thin line. "I am going to find whoever threw that damned rock and I'm going to-" but my hands pressed against either side of his face stopped him in his tracks. I crashed my lips against his to shut him up completely, not minding the fact that we stood on school grounds right next to my sister and whoever else had seen. It didn't matter. Whatever I had to do to express the fact that I didn't care who liked us dating or not. I heard the click of Mabel's phone capturing the moment and smirked into the kiss. She just didn't know how to mind her own business, did she?

Breaking the contact, I leaned back to look up at Bill. He had this dumbfounded look on his face that I rolled my eyes at. "No. You're going to let it go like I am, and we're going to pretend nothing happened. You know how teachers always tell you to ignore these things because they'll go away that way? Yeah, we're going to start functioning under that mentality, got it?" I said firmly, eyes matching my tone. Bill blinked, staring at me blankly for a few moments. Then, his goofy, lopsided grin spread across his face. He chuckled. "Pine Tree, you are an enigma," he said playfully, eyes lit up with amusement. He seemed to have moved past the entire situation, which I thanked god for. I could only imagine the horror of what an angry Bill Cipher must have looked like.

"And don't you forget it," I responded with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 **(Bill)**

I had noticed something about Dipper in the time we had been dating. Scratch that, a couple things. One: he was always wearing long sleeves, whether it was a flannel, hoodie, or jacket. It made some sense now that we'd been together for a few months and autumn was finally making itself known. Still, I found it odd regardless. And two: he had started obsessing over his appearance much more lately, most likely out of insecurity around someone like me, who took their image way too seriously. I didn't like it, not one bit. So while I sat on his bed, watching him attempt to flatten his hair down and establish some form of order, I scowled. "No one ever said you had to look all groomed and smooth around the edges, you know," I pointed out.

Dipper glanced over at me, lips pulled down into a tight frown. He then turned his attention back to his hair, which was sticking out at awkward angles. I rolled my eyes and sighed, standing up. He paid me no mind as I walked up to be directly at his side. A moment passed and he seemed to give up on fixing his hair. He turned to face me, eyebrow raised. Curiosity was brimming in his absolutely gorgeous green eyes. I smiled, wrapping my arms around his waist. The tips of Dipper's ears seemed to turn a little bit red, but he still had a dissatisfied look on his face. I chuckled, leaning down and planting a short, chaste kiss on his lips.

I pulled myself back to stare into half lidded viridian hues. "I like how messy your hair is and the way you don't try to be anything except you," I murmured, letting a hand come up to toy with his caramel brunette curls. Dipper hummed, in deep thought. He brought both of his hands up to my face, pulling off my black rimmed glasses, which I wore only around Dipper and his family. Or in the privacy of my own home, but I usually wasn't there unless I was with him. Except to sleep, of course. I had never actually stayed with him past dark, which was honestly pretty tame considering my track record. I didn't even think he had told his uncles about us dating yet. That could wait a while, though.

"But you do it all the time," he said thoughtfully, putting on the plastic glasses. I scoffed. The frames were way too big to look right on his face, and my prescription was so strong that his already large eyes just looked outright silly. "Yeah, but honestly, it's a chore and I can't stand it. I've dated a few girls and they were always asking how they look and if their shoes matched their jewelry and blah blah blah. It's much more pleasant to be around someone that's as laid back about appearance as you are while still being attractive," I explained, taking my glasses back from him, because it was very difficult to take him seriously in them.

Dipper looked down at the ground for a moment before letting his eyes trail back upwards. He shifted from foot to foot for a few moments, trying to come up with a response. Then a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. "Alright, fine. Then you have to start wearing your glasses to school," he declared, crossing his arms. I rolled my eyes, finding his stubbornness, while cute, was unwarranted. So I decided to fight him right back on that one. "Take off your jacket then," I said with an eyebrow cocked upwards. He looked confused for a moment, but then realized what I was getting at.

He placed a hand on the zipper of the navy blue jacket. "I never got around to my embarrassing story a few months ago, did I?" he asked, pulling the jacket off and holding out his right arm. I blinked, surprised. On his forearm, starting just below his elbow to his wrist, was a rather odd tattoo. In the middle of a wheel was a black triangle with a single circular eye. Inside the wheel were a few symbols - most likely alchemical - separated by thin lines and surrounding the triangle. On either end of the strange drawing were two, much thicker black lines that went all the way around his arm. I grabbed his hand, turning it so I could see his wrist as well. On the exact opposite side of his arm was an upside down triangle, although this one wasn't filled in. It had a circle drawn in the middle of it and four more beside it. All of it was right between the two lines going across his skin.

I was shocked to see something like that on Dipper. "You believe in all that?" I questioned, intrigued. He didn't seem to really want to tell me. His cheeks were stained a light pink and he didn't seem able to match my gaze. Dipper pulled his arm back to examine the ink as well. "I don't really. I just find it interesting," he said quietly, eyes tracing the markings. "I saw these symbols in a really old book I found up here when I was younger. It was all about monsters and demons and mysteries, but I never found any real evidence that those things existed here. I still can't help but be completely enamored with them, though," he continued, eyes glittering.

"You know, the more I hang around you, the more I think my life's about to turn into the newest episode of some paranormal documentary," I teased, ruffling Dipper's hair playfully. He grimaced, taking that as an insult, I supposed. "Makes things more interesting, Pine Tree. I like it," I amended, watching him go from embarrassed to being relieved in only a couple seconds. He rubbed his arm, bringing his eyes back up to connect with mine. "Now you have to wear your glasses to school," he said firmly, stepping towards his bed and tossing his jacket haphazardly onto the comforter. I raised my hands up in defeat. "Alright alright," I responded, knowing I had no real choice in the matter.

I was about to sit down on his bed when I heard a gleeful scream from downstairs. Mabel, of course. "Ohmygosh, Dipper! Get down here right now! I have a surprise for you!" she squealed, and I could just see her jumping up and down with excitement. Dipper sighed, though he smiled cheerfully as he looked over at me with a shrug. "Twin's orders," he said, leading me out of his room and down the stairs. I wondered myself what could be such a big deal, but then again, it was Mabel. Getting the mail was a big deal. I chuckled at the thought, stopping right beside Dipper and pocketing my hands. Mabel stood in the hallway in front of us, swaying back and forth joyfully.

She flailed her arms in the air, a giddy grin wide across her face. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, enjoying her enthusiasm. "Bro, guess who's heeeeere!" she squeaked, twirling in the middle of the hallway. Dipper tilted his head. "Who?" he asked, completely used to her constant excitement and cheerfulness. She smiled even bigger, reaching a hand through the doorway right next to her and pulling a tall girl probably just a little bit older than me out of the kitchen by her arm. She had long red hair that went down just below her waist and fair skin. She wore a plain black t-shirt tucked into a pair of denim shorts and a mint green flannel. There was a look of amusement in her deep hazelnut eyes. And she practically exuded confidence from the smile on her face. "Sup," she greeted casually, waving towards Dipper and I.

Dipper grinned as well, eyes lighting up like Christmas decorations. I felt my chest tighten up some, and not in a very pleasant way. "Wendy!" Dipper exclaimed jubilantly. The red head, Wendy, took a few steps towards him and pulled the brunette in for a tight hug, which he returned without a second thought. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying anything. "Dude, it's been way too long! I miss hanging out with you guys," she said, pulling back to be arms length away from him. He nodded, looking way too happy to see her for my liking. "Yeah, totally," he replied with a nod of his head.

Wendy then turned her attention towards me. "Hey. I don't think we've officially met. Name's Wendy Corduroy," she greeted, a hand on her hip. I nodded, opting to be polite despite Dipper's enthusiasm over her. "Bill Cipher," I responded with a plastered on smile. I decided to keep it to myself that Dipper had mentioned her before. Mabel darted ahead of the red head to stand right next to me. Grinning wildly, she started rapidly poking my side and shoulder. "Aaaand this guy also happens to be bro-bro's boyfrieeend!" she sang, and I laughed. Dipper on the other hand had an expression of complete mortification. Wendy gasped, taking on Mabel's excitement.

I felt her eyes look me over for a moment longer than what I was comfortable with. I wasn't sure I liked this girl. "Nice, dude!" she praised, holding a hand up in front of him. "Score!" Okay, I definitely liked her. Dipper's face was like fire at the moment, but he high-fived Wendy anyway, eyes low to the ground. "S-so uh.. What's the occasion?" Dipper asked in an attempt to change the subject. Oh but that just wouldn't do. I so very subtly draped an arm over his shoulder, pulling him to my side with a smirk. I felt his glare burn into the side of my head, but I ignored it. Wendy laughed, shaking her head. And Mabel just stared at her brother knowingly, a similar expression to my own on her face.

"It's officially fall break for me. Oh, and I got an invite to that huge Halloween party at Northwest Manor. I figured I'd have a little fun before I've gotta go back to priso- I mean college," she explained with a tilt of her head. I recalled Pacifica mentioning the party once or twice. She had even invited me, most likely because I was dating Dipper. Mabel seemed just about ready to explode from eagerness. "Eeee! I can't wait!" she squealed, doing a little dance. She grabbed both of Wendy's hands. "We should go buy dresses this Friday! We can take these guys and Pacifica can come and we can all try on fancy clothes and bedazzle them and look better than everyone else at the party!" she went on, speaking so quickly I could barely keep up with her.

But Dipper seemed to be able to do so just fine. He scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting to the side. "Mabel, you know I never wear suits..." he muttered, looking to me for assistance. His sister just scoffed, spinning around to face him. She leaned forward with a stern look on her face, hands on her hips. "Well, you're gonna get one. And you're going to wear it to the party. And you're going to have fun. And you're going to dance with me, because you're my brother and that's what good brothers do," she declared, index finger against his chest. "That's final." I stifled a laugh because Dipper didn't look too happy about those conditions.

He huffed from his nose, displeased. "But I don't even know how to dance," he countered, looking proud of his argument. Mabel actually seemed to lay off a bit, thinking desperately for a way to come back at him. I took it into my own hands, though. "Oh, that's easy, Pine Tree. I'll teach you," I said innocently, completely oblivious to the angry glare I received in response. Mabel clapped her hands together in delight, clearly very happy about that. "Perfect!" she exclaimed, turning to face the red head. "Problem solved! So you're in, right?" she asked, a hand on Wendy's wrist.

Wendy nodded, smiling pleasantly. "Yeah, man. I'm all for it. Sounds like a great time," she replied. Mabel shouted with glee, tightening her hold on Wendy's wrist and dragging her along, going on and on about colors the red head looked good in and types of dresses and how to do her hair. I chuckled, watching them leave. Dipper shoved my shoulder, frowning. "What the hell, man?" he growled, eyes narrowed into slits. "You're supposed to back me up on that stuff! What kind of-" he stopped at the sound of his uncle coming down the hallway. "F-friend... does that anyway?" he finished, face flushing of any color.

Stan grumbled, flicking Dipper on the back of the head as he passed by. "It's impossible to think with you hyperactive teenagers running around screaming. Take it upstairs," he ordered, scratching himself where he probably shouldn't as he turned into the living room. Dipper nodded, jaw tightened and embarrassed. I raised my eyebrow at him, crossing my arms. He seemed to shrink under my gaze, scratching beneath one of his fingernails anxiously. "I get that you don't know how to bring it up, but keeping it secret?" I hissed, keeping my voice low. Dipper clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head. He grabbed my hand, tugging me up the stairs and into his room.

He closed the door behind us, completely silent. I tapped my foot impatiently. "Pine Tree," I said darkly, accusingly. Dipper flinched, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "I don't know man... I want to but.. I don't want to. What if he like, disowns me or something?" Dipper asked in a hushed voice, his head down and his hands tugging at his hair. I sighed in understanding, sitting down next to him. A few moments went by, and he finally lifted his head to look at me. "You know, it'd be so much easier to just say it if I..." his voice trailed off, and his eyes flicked away from my own. I closed my eyes, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

"If you weren't straight, Dipper. I get it," I said. He forced his gaze to match my own, silent. "I'm not stupid. You even said so yourself. And if this makes you uncomfortable, then you can always just break it off," I said, bracing myself for it. The bet would be over and Dipper and I would probably go back to our lives before this happened. And while I knew that's what I deserved, I couldn't help but dread his response. But when I looked at him, he didn't have the expression of someone that was at ease with that information.

He shook his head. "No. I don't want... It's just... I don't know. I am straight, but there's just something. Something about you I like. A lot. You get on my nerves more than anyone else I've ever met in my life. But then you..." his face was scarlet as he attempted in vain to explain himself. He sighed, looking down at his hands with those eyes I always found myself getting lost in. "Look, no one had ever so much as held my hand before you. At least not in a romantic way. But I..." He straightened up his back to look up at me. "But I doubt it can feel any better than when you do it," he finished in a whisper, his voice barely audible.

I felt myself blushing, but smiled regardless. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into my side. Dipper didn't complain. Instead, he let his head rest against me, visibly relieved I hadn't laughed at him. "I'm not going to get on you about telling him," I assured, eyes directed at his bookshelf, which was right ahead of us. Dipper hummed to signal that he was paying attention. "But if it comes up in conversation at all, I'm going to tell your family. The longer it's a secret, the angrier they'll be," I said. Dipper nodded, opting to stay quiet. I allowed him to do so, and we sat there for a few minutes. That is, until I stood up, holding out a hand for him to take. His face seemed to ask me what I was doing, but he took my offered hand with his own. I laughed, pulling him upwards gently. Dipper looked more than a little bit confused.

"I'm teaching you how to dance, stupid," I said matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet. "Now, let's begin, shall we?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

 **(Bill)**

"Don't you have a limo and like, a personal driver to escort you places?" I grumbled, eyes on the road. Pacifica snorted from the back seat, and Mabel laughed with her. Wendy just grinned, and they all looked like they were hiding something. "Dipper said you'd be happy to do it," she responded, pointing at the brunette in the passenger seat. I let my eyes trail towards him, scowling. He had a smirk on his face as he took a drink of the soda in his hand. "I'll bet he did," I muttered, turning left up ahead. That explained how I got roped into driving him and three energetic teenage girls outside of town to go dress shopping.

"You were kinda asking for it, man. Payback sucks, huh?" Dipper said playfully, shrugging.

I narrowed my eyes. "This is not how I pictured spending a Friday afternoon. And I certainly hadn't seen myself doing this on my first day of fall break, either."

Dipper scoffed, leaning his head on the window. "You probably should've thought about that before you decided to give me dancing lessons for that stupid party" he said slyly, swirling the drink in his hand a bit.

"You know, I've been thinking about what I want to wear to that. Maybe something neon. Yellow, probably," I countered with a sneer. "And Shooting Star can even glitter it up. Make it look like a disco ball for all I care." Mabel squealed excitedly when I said that.

Dipper, on the other hand, had cringed at the thought. "Sounds like you intend to dance alone," he said with a disgusted face.

"Whatever gets you through the day, Pine Tree," I replied, reaching out a hand towards him. Dipper just looked at me, confused. I rolled my eyes. "The drink." I pointed towards the bottle of Pitt Cola. Dipper then realized what I was going for and shook his head, sitting the soda on his opposite side. "Quit whining about dancing already and let me have some," I huffed, keeping most of my attention directed at the road. He just crossed his arms, looking at me with a serious expression. "Then promise you won't get some ridiculous outfit for the party," he ordered firmly, brow raised.

I sniggered. "Ridiculous?! Oh, never! Just interesting is all. And it wouldn't embarrass me a single bit," I said truthfully, knowing fully well that I was pushing my luck with him. Dipper looked out the window on his other side, clearly pouting. "Tch. Yet your nerdy glasses do," he hissed under his breath angrily. I laughed, amused. "That was below the belt, Pine Tree. And I am ashamed of how proud it makes me that you came up with that," I teased, reaching out a hand to take the bottle. "Now come on and let me have a drink. I bought it." Dipper shook his head, sitting the drink down on the floorboard. He looked back at me expectantly, lips pulled into a frown. "Black and white. No yellow. No neon," he conditioned, eyes forming thin green lines on his face.

I relented, finding the joke and my patience had begun to wear thin. "Okay, okay! No fun with you around. I got it..." I mumbled in defeat, slumping my shoulders some. Dipper hummed triumphantly, handing me the bottle of Pitt Cola. I glanced over at him skeptically. "Not gonna open it for me?" I asked, genuine in my question. Dipper grimaced, peridot eyes taking on a predatorial glint.

"What are you? Two? Do it yourself!"

"Okay, fine! Let me just take my other hand off the wheel right quick and I'll be on that immediately! Or better yet, I'll grow another one!"

Dipper snatched the drink out of my hand. "God, you're such a baby." He unscrewed the lid and held out the bottle.

I took it, laughing sarcastically. "I'm a baby?! Pine Tree, this argument would be over had you just given me the goddamned pop!" I took a drink, keeping my eyes on the road as we bickered.

"Don't piss me off then!"

"Oh, but that's my favorite hobby."

"I'm seriously considering gluing those glasses to your face."

"And I'm seriously considering making you wear a vest instead of a tux. Really show off that tattoo of yours."

"You're pissing me off again!"

"It's not like it's all that hard to do, Pine Tree."

"Yeah, well..." Dipper seemed at a loss. That is, until he crossed his arms, a smug expression rivaling my own on his face. "I guess I just won't kiss you then. Maybe not for the rest of the day. Maybe not for a week," he threatened with a shrug. I felt my entire body go rigid. "You wouldn't," I said quietly, using up all the restraint I had not to throw the soda out the window in frustration. I was driving, after all. And you know, that's illegal. Dipper nodded, taking the drink out of my hand. "I dunno. Wanna find out?" he asked in a voice that was all too devious for it to belong to him. He took a swig of the Pitt Cola, ignoring my horrified expression. "That's evil! Too evil for it to really be you! Are you possessed? Pine Tree, has a demon taken over your body? Are you Satan?!" I questioned frantically, stopping the car once we finally reached our destination.

Everybody in the car but me erupted into fits of laughter. The girls had stayed silent for most of the ride, simply listening in interest as Dipper and I went back and forth. But of course they picked then to express their amusement. I scowled, knowing my face had to be bright red at that point. "You guys sound like an old married couple," Pacifica mused, opening the door and stepping out. Mabel nodded her head vigorously, standing up and waving her arms cheerfully. "I SHIP IT!" she cried to the heavens above, hitting the air with her fists. Wendy got out on her side, a friendly smile on her face. "Man, it's good to be back," she said, and the three of them all giggled amongst themselves as Dipper stepped out.

I just sat in the driver's seat, looking the other way. Dipper sighed, opening the door and leaning down. "You coming?" he asked with exasperation. I shook my head, opting to continue averting my gaze from his. I heard him mutter "stupid" under his breath before placing a hand on my chin and turning my head to face him. Dipper tilted his head to the side a bit. I cocked an eyebrow, but watched with bated breath as he came closer. He chuckled, letting his lips press against mine softly before pulling himself away. "Better?" he asked, running his fingers through my bangs.

"Better," I responded, grinning. His sister was practically going ballistic at that point, running around in circles and screaming just how much she shipped it and how great a match maker she was. Pacifica's hands were clasped over her mouth, but she remained calm, most likely out of habit. It was frowned upon in her home to express excitement, as I'd been told. Wendy just smiled at Dipper, clearly just happy he hadn't been hung up over her for long. At least, those were the vibes I was getting from her. Well, I guessed that meant I could rest easy knowing she wasn't a threat to me.

Pine Tree is mine, I thought, stepping out of my car and locking it. I then froze for a second, doing somewhat of a double take as that hit me. It wasn't noticeable, and I recovered almost immediately, but that single thought had still left me reeling. People who were in love thought things like that. And me? I had never even experienced such an emotion before. So how could one obnoxiously distrusting, nerdy, messy-haired brunette even change that? It was just a crush, it had to be. And I was just being possessive because of the bet and the money. Because that's all I was in it for.

I watched the group in silence as they laughed and talked about meaningless things. Pacifica locked her arm with Mabel's, a mock lovey dovey expression on her face. They made kissing faces at each other, cooing sickly sweet words to one another jokingly. Wendy chuckled. I knew they were teasing Dipper and I, but my attention wasn't on what they were saying. Or really even half of people in the group itself. I was focused on Dipper and Mabel, the familiar guilt coursing through my veins. Dipper didn't deserve the ridicule he'd get once I got him to say he was in love with me. I knew it would spread. I would ruin him, and I already knew he had so much more to deal with. I had seen the various bruises on his arms. There were so many things he wasn't telling me, but I hadn't been able to coax any information out of him no matter how hard I'd tried.

And then there was Mabel. I liked Mabel. She was sweet and energetic, and Dipper obviously cared about her more than any other person in the world. And I knew that as soon as Dipper's guard was down enough that Henry would be on her. She was smart enough to make her own decisions, but anyone could be tricked into those things. I knew that to be fact. I was doing it to her brother, after all. And speaking of which.. "You alright, man? You've been spacing out for a while," Dipper pointed out, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side. I jumped, not expecting the sudden movement. I then noticed that I had been about to walk directly into a fountain in the middle of the mall Pacifica had suggested.

Everyone was looking at me curiously. "Oh. Uh, yeah," I said, eyes directed at the ground. "Just thinking." Dipper seemed disbelieving, but he feigned a smile anyway. "Dude. Are you still pouting about that drink? You can have the rest. It's fine," he said with an expression only I could read, clearly trying to cover up for me. I laughed awkwardly, going along with it. "Yeah. Thanks," I responded softly. Mabel seemed to take that as the end of the conversation, grabbing Pacifica and Wendy's hands. "Let's not waste daylight, love birds! It's dress time!" she shouted, walking off towards some fancy store with her arms swinging back and forth. Wendy and Pacifica simply laughed, letting her drag them along.

Once they were out of earshot, Dipper turned towards me. "Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked, a worried look on his face. "Is there an issue, or do you not feel well, or...?" He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze low. I shook my head, reaching out a hand to intertwine our fingers. Dipper just watched me quietly, sea foam eyes full of skepticism. I ignored that, though, and let my forehead press against his. He blushed, veridian irises darting all around to see if anyone was watching us. "Bill, we're in a very public place," he mumbled, flexing the fingers on his free hand.

"I'm well aware," I responded, stepping back a bit. I lifted up our hands, glancing between Dipper's face and his arm. He narrowed his eyes warily. He seemed guarded, which I understood. But that didn't mean I had to like it. I let my fingers slide beneath the sleeve of his jacket, pulling it down only about an inch. That was enough to set him off, however, and he yanked his arm back. Holding his wrist in his other hand, he glared at me almost contemptuously. I sighed. "Things are only getting worse. I think it's time you say something," I pleaded, eyes low. Dipper shook his head, anger still burning in his eyes. "No, Bill. I'm not a kid. I can handle myself," he hissed, pocketing his hands. "We're going to just let it pass, like I said. Got it?"

I said nothing, but he seemed to understand. He reached out a hand, grinning like nothing had happened. He grabbed my wrist, tugging me towards the store Mabel and the others had gone into. "Now come on. They probably think we ditched them or something," he said, and I followed after him without a word of complaint. I still couldn't help but think about the bruises on his arms, and likely other places, too. As far as I knew, the person that kept doing these things hadn't been revealed, but their actions had only escalated. Dipper had told me of a few occasions he had received a threatening letter or didn't sleep much anymore. So this guy was really starting to look more like a stalker than just some annoying bully. I couldn't stomach the thought, which was confusing in itself. Because I was no better, and that I knew.

"There you guys are! Come on, tell me what you think of this one!" Mabel called as soon as we entered the shop. She was looking at herself in a mirror, but twirled around to face us. She wore a flowing fushia gown with ruffles on the slightly too low collar and hanging from the sleeves. And in usual Mabel style, there were glittering rhinestones all over the chest piece. I personally thought she looked like a unicorn had vomited all over her, but hey; what do I know? "Eh... I'm not really into the whole dress thing, so..." I tried, rubbing the back of my neck. But Dipper smirked at me, a knowing look on his face. He pointed towards the very, very pink ensemble Mabel was sporting. "That looks like something you would wear to sleep. Too much going on up there" He gestured towards the top of the dress. "and not enough going on down there. And anyway Mabs, it's Halloween, not Valentine's Day. That's way too bright," he said, looking her over once again.

I glanced at him, holding back my laughter. "Of course you would know that. Dipper Pines: mystery lover, twin brother, and dress enthusiast. I can see it now, written in bright rainbow letters." I said teasingly and Mabel snickered, turning around to look for other dresses. Dipper scowled at me, hands on his hips. He cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think I need to take that from you of all people," he hissed in response. "And if it's any of your business, Mabel and I shared a room for most of our lives. Trust me, you learn quickly what's supposed to look good and what isn't." I chuckled, opting to make just one more joke before he probably ended up punching me right in the middle of the store.

"Ooh, someone's got an attitude," I said playfully. I snapped my fingers in the shape of a Z, pushing my luck and pissing him off even more. "Sassmaster Pine Tree." I pointed a finger at him, speaking in as flamboyant a fashion as I could possibly muster. Wendy and Mabel were cracking up by then. Mabel was hunched over dying of laughter, while Red in the corner held her stomach in her hands. Pacifica seemed too busy zipping up the back of her dress to really pay much attention. I wrinkled my nose. I really didn't need to know that she was wearing a strapless pink bra. I probably could've lived my entire life without that knowledge, but I supposed I couldn't change that anymore.

I scoffed, ruffling Dipper's hat and stepping towards the section with the tuxes and suits. "Oh, lighten up. I'm just messing with you, Pine Tree," I remarked, casting my eyes towards him. But Dipper didn't seem happy with me right then, so I guessed he was just ignoring me. He was actually helping Pacifica zip up her dress. I tried not to let that bother me, though. But it was pretty short and tight and lacy and black and made her hips and chest jut out, which was attractive to most guys. And Dipper was very adamant about his sexuality. And they were really close. And... I realized then that I had been clenching my fists, and the suit that I'd had in my hand had a big wrinkled spot at the corner where I'd been holding it.

I huffed, releasing the fabric and attempting to smooth it back down. I heard a laugh from beside me and looked over, still upset over Dipper and Pacifica's closeness. "Jealousy is an ugly thing, you know," Wendy said, eyes on the faded red and dusty gray dress in her hands, which was totally up her alley by the way. I shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I know, but..." I had no argument. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I was being ridiculous, I was certain. I had gotten in too deep. This was more than just some crush. I was on my way to falling head over heels for someone I was conning.

Wendy rested a hand on my shoulder, smiling reassuringly at me. "Dude, it's cool. I've been around these guys long enough to know that if they wanted to date, they would've already. Pacifica is like family to him," she said, gesturing between the two teens. I nodded, paying attention as I looked through the things hung up and on display. And of course, there were a few that were bright and boisterous and everything Dipper had told me not to get. I smirked as soon as my eyes met a lemon yellow tuxedo with a black tie. He didn't say I couldn't try it on. Aaaand most likely make a spectacle of myself just to annoy him, I thought jokingly.

Wendy shoved me, knowing exactly what was on my mind as soon as she saw the color. The both of us laughed, already knowing that at some point that day, I was going to embarrass Dipper more than I probably ever had. "Look, man. I'm just gonna tell you this because I like you, and I can tell Dipper really cares about you, too. This-" she pointed between me and the oblivious brunette. "has a lot of potential to be a forever thing. But not if you screw things up and take advantage of his trust. Believe me, Dipper is not a second chances kind of guy, so don't make that mistake," she warned, lovely brown eyes sparking with something I couldn't quite read. I nodded in understanding, tugging at the collar of my shirt nervously.

Wendy beamed, raising up a hand to pat the top of my head in the most demeaning way imaginable. "Good, because if you hurt him or any of my friends then I'll snap your fucking neck, okay?" Eyes wide and heart practically pounding in my ears, I nodded once again, this time more vigorously. Why were all the girls Dipper hung around with so... extreme? Wendy chuckled, placing both of her hands on my shoulders and shoving me away some. I spun around and strode towards Dipper and his sister, who was doing a little twirl in the dress she had picked out. She stopped as soon as her eyes landed on me. "Oh! Perfect timing! I saw this tux that you need to try on. And you have to because I'm your boyfriend's sister and you have to earn my approval, so therefore my word is law!" she shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me off to some far corner of the store to look at a tuxedo. I looked back at Dipper, who just shrugged, an amused smile on his face.

I swallowed the rising lump in my throat.

Red is going to kill me when she finds out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

 **(Dipper)**

Adjusting the tie around my neck, I frantically looked myself over once again for any flaws. Which was probably not a great idea, because the more I looked, the more I saw. My hair stuck up at awkward angles. My shirt wouldn't stay tucked in. My tie was crooked.. Again. "Dammit!" I growled, throwing my arms up in defeat. The door to my room opened and Mabel peeked her head through the doorway. "Bro, you're taking longer than me to get ready. You alright?" she asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

As soon as she was inside, I noticed that she'd toned down her usual flamboyancy quite a bit. She wore a strapless orange dress that puffed out on every side just below her chest and ended right above her knees. Underneath were sheer tights that made it appear as though two dark green vines were crawling up her legs and there was a pumpkin headband atop her head. I'd expected her to be in heels, as she usually was for formal events, but instead she'd gone for simple black mary janes. She didn't even appear to have makeup on besides eyeliner that looked like thin black wings on her eyelids. And it wasn't fair just how stunning she was without all the glitter and gems all over the place. Mabel was sure to be the belle of the ball, and I was just... the twin brother. I huffed, spinning back around to attempt fixing my own attire once more.

"Oh, I get it," she said, and I could see her nod in my mirror. She stepped towards me and grabbed my hand, tugging me towards my bed. She sat down, gesturing for me to do the same. I exhaled, doing what I knew she wanted. "Dipping sauce, you need to calm down. It really isn't all that scary. I've seen you and Bill together. He's going to think you look perfect even if your dumb tie won't stay in place," she said soothingly, doe eyes soft and understanding. I smiled, knowing she was right but still somewhat anxious. She reciprocated my expression, standing up and pulling me along with her. "Now come on. We gotta go downstairs. Don't wanna keep anyone waiting~" she sang in a cheerful voice, dragging me down the steps.

I of course didn't complain. Or respond to her comment, for that matter. She stopped in the living room, then turned to face me. I furrowed my eyebrows at the focused expression she wore. "You alright?" I asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She snapped out of it, beaming back at me. "You know, if you really wanna look nice for your date, then you'll let me cut your hair," she said with her best puppy dog face.

I scowled. "Not happening."

Mabel pulled at my bangs, which were admittedly a little out of control. "Oh, come on, bro! I know you wanna cover your big forehead mark, but that doesn't mean you have to cover your eyes, too." She pressed her hands together in a pleading manner.

I shook my head, but Mabel still hadn't given up. "I'll just snip your bangs a little bit so people can actually see your face. Please! I have really nice eyes, so you obviously must too, because twin power is win power, broseph! It's just that nobody can tell with your stupid mop hair," she said with a pout. I rolled my eyes at her little twin speech. I know we're siblings and I should've been immune to her begging face. But it was Mabel, and it was impossible for me to resist her for long. I sighed, relenting. "Alright..." I muttered. Mabel squealed, placing her palms against my shoulders and shoving me into the bathroom. I sat down and watched her open the cabinets and pull out a pair of way too long metal scissors. I immediately regretted my decision.

"Cover your clothes with this," she demanded, throwing a towel at me. I remained silent, doing as I'd been told. She filled up a small bottle with water from the sink and shook it some. Then, she turned towards me, spritzing a few drops of it in my hair. I fidgeted, not really enjoying the fear that she'd do something stupid or Mabel-like for a date that I'd already been horrendously nervous for. "Stay still. I can't promise you won't leave without battle scars if you keep moving," she said, leaning forward with her eyes narrowed. I went rigid in an attempt to not move at all, which really just made me more uncomfortable.

Focused on the task at hand, she snipped the first piece off, and I tried not to tilt my head to see if it had somehow gotten on my nice clothes. Mabel placed a hand on my chin. "Stay," she hissed, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. I found it extremely difficult, but somehow managed to keep myself from looking or shifting as stray pieces of hair fell. And I eventually closed my eyes and completely forgot about it. That is, until Mabel tapped the top of my head and told me I could stand up. She took the towel off and sat it in the clothes bin in the corner. I stood and stepped towards the mirror, fearful.

I breathed a sigh of relief. My bangs were long enough to cover the obnoxious birthmark, but short enough that my eyes could actually be seen. "Not bad, Mabel," I said, adjusting them a bit. She hummed triumphantly, doing a little cocky hip wiggle. "I know. I even did some on the sides because it came out so well," she boasted, sitting the scissors and bottle down on the sink. I nodded, actually pretty happy with how it had turned out. After all, Mabel was good at a lot of things, but after an incident with scissors when we were nine, I'd had my doubts that cutting hair was one of them. I was pleasantly surprised.

"Mabel, your date's here!" Grunkle Stan called from the other room. Mabel and I exchanged a glance. Mabel hadn't gotten a date. It was a tradition for her and her friends to see how many phone numbers they could get at these dumb parties, so none of them ever bothered to get dates to them. We stepped out to see who was at the door, and I had to resist the urge to bang my head on a wall. Bill stood just outside in his tux, picking at the collar. "Well actually... I'm here for Pine Tree over there," he said, gesturing towards me. He was looking at me for help, his freckled cheeks stained red. Stan spun around to look at me, puzzled. Once he realized the insinuation of what had been said, his expression darkened. "Oh," he said in a deflated tone.

I shrank under his gaze, trying to step by him while also avoiding eye contact. Bill had a look on his face I couldn't quite read as he pinched the bridge of his nose right beneath his glasses. I laughed awkwardly, looking to Mabel for any form of comfort or advice. She just shrugged, shaking her head. Bill sighed, grabbing my arm. "Shooting Star, I'm assuming you'd intended to hitch a ride with us," he commented, tilting his head towards his car. She grinned and nodded enthusiastically, stepping out the doorway behind me. "Bye, Grunkle Stan," she chimed merrily, leaning upwards to kiss his cheek before following after us. "See ya, sweetie. And- Dipper!" he called. I stopped in my tracks, twisting around to face him. "Y-yeah?" I responded questioningly, trying to keep my voice as level as possible.

Grunkle Stan rubbed the back of his neck, eyes to the side. "We'll uh... talk. Later," he said uncomfortably, placing a hand on the doorknob. I nodded solemnly, eyes downcast. Then he just went back inside and closed the door, leaving the three of us in silence. I took a deep breath and sat down in the passenger seat of Bill's car. I wanted desperately to be happy for the party. I wanted to think about how fun it would be to make a mess of things with Pacifica and see Wendy for the last time in what would likely be a while and dance with my sister and my date. And I didn't think that was asking too much. This time, I wasn't going to be a downer or a wallflower, like I always ended up being at these things. So I faked a grin, buckling up in the car.

But it immediately dropped when I looked at Bill, who hadn't so much as put on his own seatbelt. He ran a hand through his hair, attempting in vain to come up with something to say. He sighed, turning his gaze towards me. "Kid, what did I tell you?" he asked, sharp blue eyes piercing into my own. I flinched, choosing to ignore his use of the word 'kid'. "The whole point of that conversation we had not too long ago was so you would tell your uncles and I didn't have to look like a bad guy when it inevitably came up," he went on, turning on the engine and backing up. I sighed, giving a nod. "I know, but... Can we just not talk about it right now? It's a party," I said, forcing a smile. "I'll deal with it later."

Bill huffed, and nobody spoke the entire ride to Northwest Manor. I knew he was upset, but once I had spoken to Stan, this would end. I was sure if I just told him everything then it would be fine. I mean, it at least couldn't get any worse. I stepped out of the car along with Mabel and Bill. Mabel immediately ran off to see Candy and Grenda, who were both squealing excitedly about how cute she looked and some boys they'd seen inside. I scoffed, turning towards the blonde holding a hand out towards me. I supposed he had chosen to forgive me already, which I was grateful for as I took his outstretched hand.

He led me inside, and immediately I was jumped by Pacifica, who was wearing a pastel pink gown that made her look like a fairy, which I assumed was kinda the point. It only helped that wispy blue wings were painted beside each of her eyes and her platinum hair was curled perfectly around her soft features. "Dipper! Guess what!" she sounded ecstatic about whatever it was. I raised an eyebrow, grinning honestly now that I was in a room of people that I could trust. "What?" I asked curiously. Pacifica was practically jumping up and down in excitement, letting her inner Mabel shine through now that it seemed her parents were out of sight. That's when it clicked in my mind. "They're not home?" I questioned, knowing her response just based on the expression she wore.

"They're not home!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. "Which is why you, Mabel, everyone is staying here tonight. No getting out of it! Your sister already agreed so you have to, and I'm sure Bill here will be more than happy to stay as long as you do. Oh, and Wendy and the other girls are coming too! It'll be fun! We can stay up all night and you can tell your dumb spooky stories and we can play really stupid revealing games and then later when it's girl time you guys can go wherever and do whatever it is you do when you're all alone," she went on, ending her little speech in a tone that I immediately understood. Bill chuckled, catching the underlying meaning to her words just as quickly as I had.

He looked over at me with a sly smirk on his face. "Sounds great," he cooed, and I felt my face flush of any color. Pacifica giggled like a little schoolgirl and ran off to tell Mabel. I shifted from foot to foot, not daring to look up at the dumb smug face Bill had. But after a moment, I felt him tug me off towards the floor. "Everyone's here and they're already playing music. So why let those lessons go to waste?" he asked, stopping right in the middle of the accumulating crowd. I knew what he was doing, putting us there as soon as possible. It was clear as day on his face. He was daring someone to say something about us or make a scene. There was also a bit of possessiveness at play, I could tell. I rolled my eyes, but allowed him to drag me there.

He stopped, and I felt the watchful eyes of Mabel's boy crazy friends on Bill. Glancing towards them, I knew the question that had to be on their minds as soon as I laid my eyes on them. I laughed lightly, placing both hands on Bill's face and pulling him downwards. The blonde seemed puzzled, but made no move to stop me as I let my lips brush against his. Bill even wrapped his arms around my waist, unknowingly making quite a few girls either extremely disappointed or cloud nine level of happy. Because for some reason, girls between the ages of fourteen and thirty found it absolutely adorable when two guys were in a relationship together. Other guys, though... Usually not so much.

Bill pulled back a bit, half lidded cerulean eyes staring into my own and sending shock waves down my spine. His right hand crawled up my back to rest on my shoulder blade. His other hand grasped my own firmly, fingers twined together. I felt nervousness creep up on me and, for whatever reason, I was unsure. We had done this before, at least a few times. But never in a crowd, never at some big party where everyone would watch. But I pushed that aside in favor of Bill's stupid grin. I rested my left hand on his shoulder, halfway between the curve of his neck and his arm.

I knew the motions well enough, and I followed each step he took, like I was supposed to, but I eventually zoned completely out. I didn't even register the fact that I was moving at all, or that there was really anything else in that huge room besides Bill and I. I heard nothing, saw nothing. Nothing except for him, and once I came to realize that, I felt my heartrate spike. It was indescribable, unimaginable, the things some condescending blonde could make me feel. But I knew there was more than that, more than some arrogant prick with more pride than should be humanly possible. Maybe I just paid too much attention and tried too hard to figure out every little detail of those around me, but I had very clearly seen a side of Bill most people had not. The side that cared way too much about certain things and carried insecurities about stupid shit just like anyone else and wanted what he didn't have, what he couldn't have. I liked that side of Bill.

He chuckled, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Pine Tree, you can stop gawking at me. The song's over," he teased, letting his hands fall back to his sides. I blushed, nodding. I was about to ask if he wanted to go get something to drink when I heard the voice of Pacifica calling my name. I spun around to face her, steadying her when she just about crashed into me. "Dipper! Dance with me," she said, holding out a hand. I was about to decline and tell her that I would after a few more songs, but she had the 'I need to talk to you privately right now' look in her eyes. I took her hand, letting her lead me away. "I'll be back in a few," I called towards Bill, who nodded in response.

"Alright. What's up?" I questioned, stepping forward with my left foot.

Pacifica mirrored the movement. "Mabel keeps flirting with all these dumb, cute boys," she hissed, wrinkling her nose.

I scoffed. "What else is new?"

"I don't like it." Pacifca sounded desperate.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. What else is new?"

Pacifca scowled, looking like she wanted to stomp on my toes right then. "Aren't you supposed to fix that?" she asked, making me turn my body so she could look over my shoulder and spy- I mean, keep an eye on Mabel. I sighed. I knew she had a crush on my sister. I also knew my sister had a crush on her. The problem was, they just continuously danced around one another. And I wasn't allowed to say anything because I'm too good a brother/friend and I know how to keep my mouth shut when people want me to. "There's nothing for me to fix. I haven't been getting on guys lately for flirting with her because I know she's not into them. And I especially won't tonight. It's just a game," I explained, trying to keep Pacifica's attention focused on me. "If anything, she's making fun of them."

Pacifica didn't seem convinced, though. She glanced at my sister, who was doing god knows what and talking to god knows who. But it apparently mattered a lot to the blonde. Her long, pink fingernails dug into my shoulder almost painfully. Whatever was happening was definitely being reflected on my suit, which was wrinkled and bunched in the spot her hand was. "Pacifica. Remember when you called me drunk? Weren't things like, super uh... 'heated'?" I asked, eyebrow raised. "That should be a hint that you two are super into each other. But neither of you want to admit it to the other."

Pacifica shook her head. "It doesn't count if you're drunk. Everyone becomes attractive with enough alcohol in your system," she said, torn between disappointment and amusement. I scoffed. That was probably true.

Still, she seemed almost distraught over Mabel and her little phone number game. I sighed, trying to give her my best reassuring smile. "Pacifica, you should just go for it. It sucks to always be the guy that never says how you feel because you were afraid of rejection. And if you don't say anything, you're going to immediately regret it. Believe me," I advised, going still when the song cut off. Pacifica looked down at her shoes, then glanced over to the side. "Is that how you and Bill started dating?" she asked quietly, her eyes directed at him. I was silent for a few moments, rubbing the back of my neck in a nervous attempt to come up with a response to that. "Well... Kinda. I made a very bold decision that led to certain... feelings... surfacing," I explained awkwardly, shoving her lightly in the direction Mabel was. "And a very bold decision is definitely what you need."

Pacifica placed a hand on her own chin in thought. "But what should I do?" she asked, staring up at me expectantly.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Ask her out, tell her you like her, things like that. Orrr..." I paused dramatically, pointing towards her. Pacifica raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow in interest. "Or, you can take a Mabel approach," I finished, catching the blonde's attention. Her bright, fairy blue eyes lit up cheerfully. "Dipper, you're totally right. Thank you!" she exclaimed jubilantly, pulling me in for a very tight hug. Like, Mabel level of tight. "Anytime. Except right now. I've got a date to get back to, if you'll excuse me," I replied, returning the hug for a few seconds. Pacifica leaned back with a nod, unwinding her arms from around me. "See ya, Dip!" she said merrily, planting a kiss on my cheek before running off to find Mabel, heels clicking.

I went my own way, chuckling as I wiped the sparkly pink lip gloss off of my cheek. "Yet another advantage that comes with dating Bill," I said under my breath, stepping towards him. At least with him there was never any worry there would be any evidence we had been making out. Not that we ever really had. I'm honestly still very nervous when it comes to those kinds of things. More than once Bill had teasingly called me a prude. Still, it wasn't like either of us really minded the innocence I had opted to retain in our relationship, especially in public places. That's just rude. And a bit of it came from not wanting to attract too much attention to us. Not in my current situation, at least. Not with those notes. Not with everything going on. Because things really had gotten worse.

I hadn't said much to Bill or anyone else, but on occasion, I had woken up in the morning dizzy and aching in my stomach, shoulders, back, arms, everywhere. There were bruises all over me. I didn't know where they came from or who was doing it, but it happened. How they somehow did these things to me without waking me, I would never know, but the dizziness factor was a pretty big hint that I probably didn't want to know. And every single time, there would be a note folded up neatly and placed on my nightstand. They were all typed and most were rather short. From 'faggot' to 'kill yourself' in big bold print to long, gruesome letters giving me every detail of what was being wished upon me. I usually hid them and went on with my life pretending nothing was wrong. That was one mystery I needed to solve on my own.

"Pine Tree?" Bill asked, a hand on my arm. "You alright?" I blinked away my thoughts, smiling innocently. "Oh, yeah. I just had something on my mind for a second there," I replied dismissively, placing my own hand over his. Bill just nodded, holding a drink out towards me. "Whatever you say then. Want some?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. I took it skeptically. "Smells like alcohol. Are you trying to get me drunk?" I questioned jokingly, taking the smallest sip.

Bill shrugged, a grin spread across his face. "Possibly," he cooed, his voice calm and seductive.

I chuckled, taking another drink. "Smooth, man," I teased, jabbing into his side with my elbow.

Bill smiled, eyes not on me. He seemed to just look around the way too big ballroom curiously, focused and unfocused all at once. I pressed my back against the wall beside him, letting silence kick in. I took a drink, watching everyone talking and dancing, looking like they were having the time of their lives. It was nice, but often times I never really participated in it. I stuck to my small circle, and I was content with that. "You sure do a lot for them, huh?" Bill finally asked, shattering the silence. I raised an eyebrow, but I didn't seem to need to voice my questions before he answered them.

"Mabel and Pacifica. You're always looking out for them and doing stuff for them. I don't think I would ever be able to do for my friends what you've done for them. Ever," he said thoughtfully, a hand reaching for my own and taking it. I looked up at him seriously. "That's because you're 'friends' are a bunch of selfish assholes that only care about themselves. And you know it, yet you continue to subject yourself to their company," I said, being just a little too honest. "But these guys - Mabel and Pacifica - are different. And you know, I actually used to hate Pacifica. But she was there when Mabel was... away. She helped me look for her and she kept me relatively sane during that time. She earned my trust, and now... I'd probably put my life in her hands if need be," I went on, watching the blonde grab Mabel's hand and twirl her around, the puffy orange dress fanning out around her.

Mabel was clearly shocked, but allowed it to happen. And once she seemed to regain her balance, she noticed a small pink box with a neat ribbon Pacifica was holding out towards her. The two of them exchanged a few words, Mabel's eyes widening into saucers at what I guessed was Pacifica's confession. She leaned forward and kissed Mabel softly before pulling back anxiously. My sister said something, cheeks rosier than usual and a wide grin on her face, and threw her arms around Pacifica's torso. Pacifica seemed near tears, but she returned the embrace happily. I beamed, knowing what that meant. "And if you can't say the same about your friends, then maybe you have no business associating with them. I know I'm distrusting. Maybe I'm too distrusting but it's gotten me through life so far, hasn't it? And that's... That's pretty good, if you ask me." Bill was silent, just looking at me with that amazed and almost starstruck expression he had whenever I talked about these things.

"You're already so well liked by all of my friends and family. Might as well make it official, huh?" I asked with a chuckle. "Trust me, these guys are who you should really surround yourself with. Not those self-centered pricks." Bill blinked, watching Pacifica put the silver charm bracelet that had been in the gift box on Mabel's wrist. He sighed somberly.

"You're right, Pine Tree. You're... definitely right."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

 **(Dipper)**

"Truth or dare?" Mabel asked, her words slurred as she pointed towards Candy. Candy grinned, pushing up her round, Harry Potter level of dorky glasses. "I choose truth," she replied, clapping her hands together. I rolled my eyes. Why had I agreed to be a part of this at all? I was unsure, but I watched with disinterest anyway. "Okay... Oh, I know! Who was the last boy you had a crush on? Not because he was cute or whatever. I mean crush crush. And you have to be honest!" Mabel exclaimed, waving her arms.

Candy blushed, glancing around the room. If she said Bill then I knew I would've laughed. But of course, I wasn't that lucky. She pointed towards me. I felt my face flush, and I shrank down, not really enjoying the attention being placed on me. Bill snorted, attempting in vain to stifle his laughter. The girls in the room, on the other hand, didn't even try to hide it. Candy seemed just as embarrassed as I was. "What can I say? Intelligence is attractive," she muttered. Bill was practically rolling on the floor at that point, hands over his mouth. I just shook my head, heels of my hands covering my eyes.

Even Candy giggled at that, and somehow regained her calmness. "Okay. Dipper, truth or dare?" she asked, smiling like nothing had happened. I waved a hand. "Oh, no. I'm not really... I don't want to participate in this," I finally said, giving up any attempt to sugarcoat my words. Mabel made an X with her arms, a stern look on her face. "No can do, broseph! You have to play because I say so, and Mabel's word is as valid as a queen's!" she yelled, fists in the air. I huffed, knowing I probably had no way out of this. "...Dare...?" I said questioningly, hoping to god I wouldn't end up regretting that decision.

"I dare you to..." Candy tapped her chin with her index finger. After a few seconds it seemed she had come up with an idea and smirked at Grenda and the other girls. I felt fear welling up in my chest and fidgeted, but attempted to remain calm. I wasn't drunk like they were. Surely they didn't expect me to do anything super crazy. Bill had a wary look in his eyes, as if he was waiting for Candy to pounce me like some kind of horny lion. I shared that same thought and twiddled my thumbs as she scooted closer. She leaned into my ear and on instinct, I recoiled. Candy sighed, grabbing my face and keeping me still while she whispered the dare to me. I grinned, casting a look at Bill, who seemed both angered by the girl whose mouth was a little too close to my ear, and anxious that he'd end up more embarrassed than me. And that was probably true.

Candy leaned away from me with a blush on her face. All of the other girls in the room, even Wendy, seemed curious as to what was happening. I sneered, turning towards Bill. "I'm sorry that I'm not sorry about this," I snickered, placing both hand on his shoulders and pushing him onto the ground. "Stay down for a second, alright?" Okay, so maybe I was a little bit drunk. But only a bit, I swear. I was just tipsy was all, and that was probably why I was okay with this. Bill's face was bright red. Better him than me, I thought teasingly, lowering my head so I could brush my lips against his neck. I felt Bill shudder beneath me, egging me to start sucking the sensitive skin just below his jawline.

"Woah, Pine Tree, are you high or something?" he questioned in a slightly strained voice, a hand on my chest attempting to push me off. "Stop that." I chuckled against his neck, shoving his shoulders into the ground just a little bit rougher than I had intended. "I said stay down," I growled, sitting up on his chest. Was I enjoying this? Yes, I think I was. I was enjoying it a lot. "Now I have to start over, stupid," I went on, both hands holding down Bill's arms. He seemed torn between being amazed and mortified. Either way, I liked it. Even with Mabel staring at me in shock, a hand over her mouth like she hadn't forced me into this damn game. I didn't really care, though. It wasn't like I was doing anything too wild. Blame it on the alcohol, I supposed.

I leaned back down, sucking hard on Bill's neck, even biting down lightly to see what kind of reaction I would receive. His jaw tightened, holding back a groan, and I knew I was doing something right. Confident, I licked the reddened skin, then sat back up and let go of Bill's arms. His hands immediately flew up to cover the large hickey I had left there, his eyes wide and heart racing. I got off of him, grinning like some sort of maniac. Candy whistled. "Very impressive," she mused, her cheeks tinted pink. Wendy just had that look on her face. You know the one. It's basically the face your siblings make when you surpass them in height. Like, they want to be okay with it because you're growing up, but they also never wanted it to happen. Grenda looked like she needed to wipe her nose. Pacifica almost seemed like she wanted to take notes, like I was teaching her how to get my sister in bed with her or something. And Mabel... Well, Mabel was running around the room screaming how much she shipped it again.

She stopped, flailing her arms like a madman. "But Bill totally tops, doesn't he?! Or are you like...? Ooooh!" her voice gradually grew excited, like this was some celebrity scandal she'd only just been informed of, and she had a distant look in her eyes. Bill just shook his head, hands over his eyes. Mabel stepped towards me and leaned down, placing both hands on my shoulders. "Dipping sauce, I want you to be completely honest with me. Are you tapping that? Oh my god, are you dominating that?!" she screamed, jumping up and down. Bill groaned, standing up and looking at me with eyes that if I weren't feeling overly cocky, I probably would've been a little bit threatened by. "I think Pine Tree and I could use a bit of alone time. You know, to talk about that," he hissed, grabbing me by my arm and yanking me upwards. I laughed as he dragged me out the room and down the hall. I snorted. "Yeah, talking," I cooed, saluting the girls in the room before allowing him to tug me along.

I eventually ended up pulling him around because I knew Pacifica's house inside and out. Once we were far enough away, I went to open the door, but Bill had spun me around before I could, crashing his lips into mine. Without even an opportunity to react, I had been pressed up against the large ornate door, Bill's hands on either side of me and keeping me in place. It wasn't like I minded in the least, though. I returned the rough kiss enthusiastically, hands on his chest in an attempt to unbutton his tux. Why I was so okay with what was happening, I honestly didn't know. I wasn't so drunk that I wasn't in my right mind. I very clearly understood what was happening. I just didn't care. I wanted this. Badly. Maybe it was pretty soon to be doing this, but I didn't really mind it.

I brought one of my hands down and began fiddling with the doorknob. The other was still working on those buttons, somehow undoing them with very little trouble. Once I had successfully turned the knob, I opened the door and let Bill shove me inside, pulling away from the kiss to catch his breath. He seemed to be going for the bed. Oh, but I just wouldn't have it. I spun us around, pushing him down on the couch in the corner and taking my place on top of him. Bill's cheeks were a rosy pink, and I could feel his outrageously fast heartbeat. Maybe I should start being a little more confident in my abilities. Clearly I was doing pretty damn well.

I tore the jacket and shirt off of his body, taking the opportunity to run my hands along his chest. God, it was not normal for me to find another man so damn sexy. Not that I really cared right then. Nothing else mattered, and thinking seemed to evade me. I began grinding my hips against Bill's body, eliciting a low moan from the blonde. I didn't let it show just how nervous I was. I smirked, a hand on his chin, tilting it up to face me. His hazy eyes searched mine.

"P-Pine Tree... Since when are you so daring?" Bill asked, voice husky and wanting. He wrapped his arms around my waist, sliding one beneath my shirt and letting his fingers slowly make their way upwards, along my spine. His touch left a trail of fire on my skin. I didn't bother to respond though, instead moving my head forward and planting a short kiss on his lips. Then his cheek, and his jaw, all the way down his neck. His breath caught in his throat. "Don't... don't be so gen-" but he was cut off by me biting down on his collarbone. "Nnng.." he ground out. I sneered against his skin, sucking until I left a mark I knew would last a while.

I felt Bill's arousal against my own, and I gave a soft moan. Breathing quickly, I got up from where I'd been, a hand held upwards as a silent order for him to stay where he was. He watched me curiously as I slunk downwards, sitting on my knees on the floor. I honestly had zero idea what I was doing, but at the same time knew exactly what I was supposed to do. Hard to explain, I know. I let my lips brush the fabric of his pants, right between his legs. And the most wonderful, satisfying thing ensued. Bill whimpered. It was needy and desperate and I loved every bit of it. Confident, I swiped my tongue along that same spot to invoke a reaction out of him. The red on his face seemed to deepen in intensity and he gasped, squirming anxiously where he sat. I placed both of my hands against his hips, staring upwards at him through lustful eyes.

"Stop being such a tease already," he hissed, attempting in vain to sound threatening. I chuckled, knowing quite well I was the one in charge. I looked up at him with a devious expression, then brought my attention back down. I probably would've been nicer about it, but his trying to be the dominant one just made me want to tease him more. So I undid the button on his pants in one quick movement, but used my teeth to very slowly and carefully pull down the zipper. Oh, and Bill was becoming horribly impatient. His muscles tensed under my touch.. He let his head roll back, breaths shallow and unsteady. I chuckled, using a hand to free his already hardened erection from its confines. "Something wrong, Bill?" I purred, licking up the shaft slowly. Bill moaned, letting that desperate side of himself shine through once more.

I pressed my lips softly against the head, keeping my eyes locked on the aroused and unusually submissive blonde. Honestly, I had assumed I'd be disgusted if I had ever ended up doing this kind of thing with him. And I certainly hadn't envisioned myself enjoying it this much. Bill was the only other man I had and would ever be attracted to, that I was positive of. But that was okay, because I was having a damn good time making him squirm. I took the tip into my mouth and Bill gasped, tangling his hands in my hair. I began to bob my head, taking a little more of him in every time I went back down. Bill looked down at me, eyes clouded over and pleasured breaths coming out in puffs. I kept our gazes locked, enjoying the lustful look on his face and the way his chest heaved every time he panted heavily.

I brought my head back, letting my teeth scrape against his very sensitive skin lightly. Bill closed his eyes, eyebrows creased together. I gingerly licked the precum dribbling from the very tip of his length and swirled my tongue around it, very pleased with what had resulted from my efforts. I opened my mouth yet again to continue my earlier ministrations. But Bill's hands tightened in my hair, and he yanked my head back before I could even attempt it. I yelped, shocked as I was forced to stare up into deep, ocean blue eyes. "That's enough of that, Pine Tree," Bill growled, keeping me in place. I bit my lip. His grip tore at my scalp. It definitely hurt, but the tight, burning sensation in my abdomen increased. Why was that so arousing? Having my hair pulled was not supposed to excite me, but it really, really did. Bill sniggered, regaining his past cockiness. "My turn."

He pulled me upwards, tearing at my suit. He loosened the tie around my neck, pulling it off and tossing it on the other side of the room. The rest of my clothes followed quickly behind. Forcing me down on the bed, Bill grinned devillishly and removed his dress pants, tossing them askew on the floor. I blushed, feeling exposed now that I had nothing to cover myself. And Bill caught on. He traced his eyes along my body, noticing all of the marks and bruises adorning my stomach, shoulders, and arms. In the heat of the moment, I hadn't even give it a second thought. "Dipper..." he whispered, eyes brimming with fear. He touched one near my ribs, fingers brushing the skin lightly. I turned my head away, feeling the pain that came with the crashing realization that he probably didn't want to go any further with me looking like that. Anybody would be disgusted.

It seemed I was wrong when Bill placed a hand on my chin so I faced him. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead softly, lovingly even. "You're perfect," he murmured, azure eyes glimmering. My heartbeat quickened, speeding up to an almost inhuman rate. I opened my mouth to respond, but I was at a loss for words to say. So I just smiled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him in for another kiss. This one was less rough, but equally - if not more - passionate. I tilted my head to the side, letting things gradually grow more heated. Bill slid a hand down my stomach until it reached my length, pumping up and down. He started off slow, but soon sped up to a much more satisfying amount. I closed my eyes, allowing Bill to do what he wanted with me.

Bill dragged his teeth softly along my bottom lip. I groaned, one hand entangled in his feathery blonde locks. Everything that was happening seemed so perfect. And god, I couldn't get enough of it. Bill swiped his tongue across my lip pleadingly. Smirking into the kiss, I refused him. Just to tease him once more. But Bill wouldn't take no for an answer. He bit down on my lip harshly, forgetting all about the past slowness. I gasped, allowing him access. He let his tongue explore all of the newfound territory. It swiped the roof of my mouth and prodded just about everywhere he could reach. I tasted a little bit of that alcoholic drink we'd had. And something sweet that I couldn't quite name. But there was also a taste that was almost entirely Bill's. It was impossible to explain. I just knew that it was something fantastic, and I desperately needed more of it.

Bill pulled away from me, and I whined beneath him. He chuckled, taking his hand away from my length and began sucking on a few of his fingers. I watched nervously, knowing exactly what came next. He made a show of it, licking up and down the digits sensually, slowly. I bit my lip, anticipation getting the better of me as I rutted my hips against his in an effort to move things along. Bill removed his fingers, a string of saliva connecting them to his mouth. He swiped his tongue across his lips with a snicker, eyes narrowed at me. He knew he was absolutely torturing me, and he loved it.

I ran my hands down his sides, fingernails leaving red trailing marks. I was done with all this goddamn toying around. "Bill. Before I change my mind," I growled, and he had to know that was an order. He laughed, placing one of the slick digits at my entrance and sliding it into me slowly. I gasped, hands tightening in Bill's hair and on his shoulder. It was such a foreign feeling, and I found it somewhat unpleasant, in all honesty. Still, he was oddly gentle as he started licking and sucking on my neck. I didn't mind at all. It definitely helped ease the discomfort into enjoyment when he let another finger enter me much less softly than he was being on my neck. I groaned, eyes clenched shut.

He continuously plunged his fingers inside me, letting himself get faster and faster as the volume of my voice heightened. I felt myself becoming jittery and impatient, wanting more as the pleasure of the action increased. I inhaled sharply, eyes fluttering shut as I completely gave in to the blonde on top of me. Bill bit down lightly on my collarbone, shoving another slick digit into me with little regard for my comfort. I shivered, letting out a sharp gasp. My hand tightened in his hair, tugging not so lightly at the roots. He hissed against my skin, but continued doing what he'd been doing. "Bill... More. Oh god, more!" I pleaded as he brushed against a spot that had me crying out pathetically, bucking my hips against his hand in an attempt to feel that again.

Bill pulled his fingers out of me, twirling his tongue around one of the rings on my neck. I whimpered breathlessly. Bill snickered, positioning himself on top of me. "Now tell me, Pine Tree," he cooed into my ear quietly. "Just how do you want me to fuck you?" I grinded my body against his own needily. I wanted this so terribly that any rationality or caution was completely nonexistent in my mind. I placed a hand on each side of his face so he was looking directly at me. My own desire reflected back at me through Bill's eyes. "Hard," I growled. "Rough. Fucking mercilessly," I went on, and Bill's smirk widened across his face. He gave a cocky laugh. "You're not gonna be able to walk straight by the end of this, you know," he mused confidently. And in that instant, I felt his cock ram into my body.

My breath hitched in my throat, and the pain was almost enough for me to shove him away. But I rolled my head back anyway, coiling my arms around Bill's neck for support. He used his hand to stroke my member to the same rhythm he moved his hips. I could feel my body trembling, caught on the unbearably thin line between pleasure and pain. Within a few minutes, even the feeling of Bill thrusting into me became so mind numbingly enjoyable that I was resorted to a writhing mess beneath him. I moaned loudly, fingernails digging into Bill's skin and leaving red marks. He pounded himself into me at a speed I was struggling to match, head buried into the crook of my neck. He licked my collar bone, then bit down on it with very little regard for my skin and whether or not it broke.

Bill thrust, hitting my sweet spot without mercy. "Th-there!" I cried out, overwhelmed by all of the sensations. And that's when he froze, both his pelvis and his hand still against my ever sensitive skin, and my gaze snapped upwards to connect with his. Bill had this amused sneer on his face, and his eyes were glittering mischievously behind the rims of his glasses. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to refrain from whimpering, instead opting to glare furiously at him. "What the actual fuck?" I hissed, my voice strained from the absolutely goddamn torturous sensation of not being touched. Bill began rolling his hips back and forth, providing some friction against me, but it was nothing in comparison to what I wanted.

"Just a little payback for earlier," he groaned, grunting at the obvious effort it took to keep up his slow pace. I scowled, lowering my hands. I couldn't take this. I needed more, and if that meant touching myself, then so be it. But Bill laughed, grabbing both of my wrists roughly and slamming them down above my head. I stared up at him with wide eyes, lips parted in awe. He just laughed, using his free hand to tip my chin up. "That's not happening, dear," he said, an inflection on 'dear'. I grit my teeth as he leaned into my ear, lips brushing the soft skin lightly. "Not unless you earn it."

I immediately knew what 'earning it' meant. I opened my mouth to refuse, but Bill slowed his already steady and dissatisfying pace, groaning in the process. I whined, making an effort to move my body against his in hopes of making some sort of progress. I knew I had to look pathetic. I pulled against his grip, but he didn't budge, staring at me in anticipation. And god, did he look fucking perfect. His cheeks flushed. His hair a disheveled mop that fell over his forehead messily. His eyes, examining me from behind his lenses. It really did strike me how sexy Bill looked in those glasses. I just chose not to marvel at that until I had a more concerning and very prevalent matter attended to first.

I swallowed my pride, forcing myself to say what I was about to. "Bill... Please, please touch me," my voice was hushed, barely above a whisper.

Bill scoffed, his grin widening. "You can do better than that, Pine Tree," he mused, voice low and wanting. He lowered his head to bury his nose into my neck. "Be more specific. Tell me what you want me to do to you."

I grimaced, but the pressure building up in my abdomen was so fucking painful. And it didn't help that Bill's voice was hot against my throat. It seemed I had no real choice but to suck it up and do what was being asked of me. "I... Fuck me," I said, embarrassed by the desperation in my own voice. Bill seemed dissatisfied and purposely rolled his hips into mine before slowing himself back down to a point where even he seemed tormented. But he still had that 'I could do this all day' look on his face, which both annoyed and horrified me. "Fuck me until I scream your name, until I'm begging you to stop." I felt him just brush against that pocket of nerves I really wanted him to touch more for a split second. I gasped, eyes blown and chest practically heaving. "Oh god, please!" Bill paused for a moment or two, actually somewhat caught off guard before his smirk returned. He leaned into me with a chuckle.

"Good boy," he purred against my skin, releasing my hands. I shivered, bringing them up to coil around his neck. And without so much as a warning, he resumed his movements, both of us already frustrated from earlier and panting heavily. The first thrust somehow collided perfectly against my prostate. That and the fact that my body was oversensitive from craving his very touch were enough to drive me to cry out pitifully. It took all I had not to scream obscenities into his ear, and he knew that very well. His hand trailed down my stomach, his fingers wrapping around my length and pumping up and down to the same rhythm he bucked his hips into mine. His movements didn't slow, and he purposely rammed into that one spot repeatedly.

"Ahhn...! B-Bill, that's... Fuck!" I shouted, legs coming up to wrap around his lower back. I shoved my head into his neck, digging ruthlessly at his shoulders to keep myself grounded. I had no way of lowering my voice anymore, and gave in to the sensations. Thankfully, the others were all the way on the opposite end of the house. "B-Bill!" I exclaimed, not giving a damn if one of Pacifica's many maids or butlers were outside the door. Or if anyone was, for that matter. Bill's pace quickened, any rhythm he'd had previously gone with my rationality.

Bill's body melded into my own, creating a burning friction between us. It was hot and dizzying and fucking phenomenal. I met Bill's every erratic movement with equal vigor. There was a tight, knotted feeling in the pit of my stomach, practically begging for release. Once again, my fingernails nearly broke the skin on Bill's shoulders. He hissed painfully against my jaw, which he had been sucking on relentlessly. The feeling in my abdomen increased in intensity. I arched my back, so unbearably, tantalizingly close that I couldn't take it anymore. "Bill, I-I'm... Fuck-!" I had no opportunity to finish my sentence.

I cried out in ecstasy as I came hard onto my own stomach. I rolled my head back. It was agonizing. It was intense. And I had never felt anything like it. It seemed I hadn't been the only one close, either. In just a matter of seconds, Bill moaned my nickname and his body seized. He released, burying his seed into me. He curled over my body, forehead against my chest. Panting heavily, he pulled himself out and collapsed on the large bed beside me. For a few minutes we just lie there attempting to catch our breaths.

I could already feel my body beginning to ache. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to go at it so... Yeah, that probably wasn't such a wise decision on my part. And it didn't help that I was a bit messy. Yeah, that was the word. But hey, that was a lesson well learned. I grimaced, forcing myself to stand up and walk over to my clothes, ignoring the stickiness between my legs as best I could. And as embarrassing as it was to admit, Bill had been right. I certainly was not walking straight. I picked up my clothing wearily and made my way towards the bathroom.

"I'm gonna clean this up before we get that poor bed any dirtier," I said, closing the door behind me. I heard Bill hum to signal that he'd been listening. I took a look at myself in the mirror. My hair was even more unkempt than usual where Bill had tugged on it and there were red circles on my flesh where he had sucked. That, and my body already looked pretty worse for wear in the places I had been struck at. All and all, I found my appearance pretty terrible. I sighed, running the water in the sink and splashing it on my tired face.

"'Perfect', he says," I scoffed, cleaning up the evidence of our activities as quickly as I could, finding that I was quickly becoming somewhat of a clean freak when it came to these things. I then threw on my boxers and my white dress shirt. I buttoned it up until every mark except a hickey on my jawline was covered. I huffed. It looked like I'd probably end up snatching some of Mabel's concealer to keep people from seeing that. One of the perks of having a girl twin was having the exact same skin tone in these kinds of situations. I combed my fingers through my hair to create some kind of order. Once I was satisfied with how that looked, I stepped out of the bathroom to see Bill lying under the blankets, his glasses lying on the nightstand and seemingly already asleep.

I was proven wrong when he stretched out his arms towards me, opening and closing his hands like a child trying to ask for something they want. "Pine Treeee, lay down," he whined, obviously just as exhausted as I was. I laughed, turning the light switch off. I stepped towards the bed, lifting up the covers and doing as I'd been told without complaint. Bill scooted towards me, wrapping both his arms and legs around my body, which probably looked a bit funny considering how long his limbs were. But at least he seemed to have put his boxers back on. "Not a word. I'm tired, it's cold, and you're warm," he mumbled, resting his head on the curve of my neck. I said nothing, bringing one hand up to toy with his hair absentmindedly.

It was nice, and I rather enjoyed the feeling of Bill's soft breathing against my neck. A few minutes passed. I felt myself drifting off, but opened my eyes when Bill tapped my forehead. "Whaaaat?" I muttered, too tired for anything else. Bill seemed pretty serious, though, and didn't laugh at my childishness. "We're talking about those bruises later," he said simply, tightening his hold on me. I was silent. I just wanted him to stop. I just wanted to get past this. Bill fidgeted, and I could feel his piercing gaze on me. "Dipper," he whispered pleadingly.

"Bill. Please, just let it go," I said in response, my voice barely audible. He sighed, letting his head fall back to the place it had been on my neck. I knew I was being irrational. I knew I was in the wrong. But what was I supposed to say? "Oh, by the way, I'm being stalked by someone and I have no idea who they are. But don't worry or anything. I have it all under control." How much more ridiculous could I possibly sound? "I can handle it, okay?" I asked rhetorically, fingers playing in Bill's hair gingerly. He was clearly unconvinced. I sighed, closing my eyes. "Why can't you just do as I ask and forget about them?"

Bill breathed in, retracting his arms from being around me. I watched in the darkness as he shifted to be hovering over me. I blinked, trying to focus my eyes enough to see him clearer. That didn't work out very well, though, and I settled with blindly awaiting his response. "Have you really not caught on yet? I can't forget it, no matter how much you ask, no matter how much I try. It's sickening, the thought of you just lying back and accepting it as someone hurts you. I can't stand knowing that things are much worse than you want me to think. And I know you would jump to the rescue if this happened to your sister. Is it really so wrong that I want to do the same for you? Pine Tree... I..." his voice trailed off, as if unsure whether or not to continue. My eyes widened in realization, knowing exactly what was happening. He pressed his forehead against mine softly, and I felt my chest tighten up anxiously.

"I love you," Bill murmured sincerely, a hand against my cheek.

And I just lay there staring up into the darkness, left arrantly speechless.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

 **(Bill)**

"Pine Tree... I..." I felt the words freeze in my throat. Was I really about to say that? I knew I was. I knew what I felt and what I wanted and what I couldn't stand to be without. But Bill Cipher doesn't fall in love. Never. In my life, that led to nothing particularly good. I had loved my father, though I had no evidence to support that claim. I had loved my mother, but that had obviously not been enough. I had loved and I had loved, but that all eventually ran out. I became a cynic, a narcissist and a pessimist. But Dipper. Dipper was different.

I had believed Dipper to be spiteful, and a small part of me had felt superior because of it. But soon I realized that he felt love more than I probably ever had. For Mabel, for Pacifica, for the Stans, and even for his parents, who he saw once in a blue moon. And that utterly confused me. I saw Dipper as an enigma, an unsolvable puzzle. I saw in him the light that I had lived without for a very long time. I saw all the good things that could possibly exist in this world and even some that only the heavens could possibly promise in him. I saw what I believed to be perfection, despite his contempt towards parts of himself that I would never understand. And for all of his flaws, his distrust, and his insecurities, I knew that what I felt for Dipper Pines was that very emotion.

"I love you."

Dipper seemed taken for a loop, unable to comprehend my words. He just stared up at me through the darkness, silent. Nervousness crept up on me. Had I made a mistake? Was it wrong of me to say that? Was it wrong of me to feel that way? Maybe. It wasn't like I deserved any sort of mutual feeling. I had only dated him in the beginning because of some stupid bet. But now... Now there was so much more. There was love, though the word still felt foreign on my tongue and the feeling seemed misplaced in me. "Wh-what?" he asked in an almost child-like, innocent tone.

I didn't laugh. Any other time I would have laughed, amused by his naivety. But this time was different. This time there was something on the line. Something to lose. "I love you." I didn't regret saying it. I felt like a weight had been lifted, and it was good to finally say it. To finally tell the truth. I was tired of lying to Dipper. I was tired of lying to myself. So I would say it as many times as he wanted if that would make him believe it. Believe that I felt towards him what I had needed to feel for so long. His curious gems of eyes that seemed to search every part of me, analyzing, evaluating, calculating. His messily tousled hair he'd fuss over for about two minutes until something more interesting caught his attention. The way he spoke so passionately about things and never seemed to hold himself back from saying what he wanted. All of it was so indescribably Dipper, and I knew I'd fallen for it all.

I felt warm hands on either side of my face, thumbs rested against my cheeks while his fingers threaded themselves into my vermilion locks. I'd noticed that he had taken after me, using any opportunity he could to toy with my hair. I had noticed a lot about Dipper, more than maybe even he had. He took in a breath, eyes blindly searching my expression. "I love you, too," he murmured, voice barely audible, even within such close proximity. I felt my breath hitch and my chest constrict in the greatest, most terrible way possible. I think that right then, I would've given up every penny I had just to know what was going on in his head. I wanted to know why and since when. But the most important question was right on my tongue. "How...?"

Dipper chuckled. It was his turn to find me naive, I supposed. I had always liked his laugh. It wasn't obnoxious or loud, and it never had an ounce of ill will or arrogance to it. He was just inherently good-natured, despite what people would assume right off the bat. "Bill, you shouldn't be so pessimistic. I like you. I love you. Is it that hard to believe?" he asked, motioning for me to lie back down. At least, that's what I assumed. It was really difficult to see, especially for someone like me. So I did it anyway, lying on my side right next to him. "No... It's just... I don't know, really," I said honestly, giving a ragged sigh.

Dipper was silent. So was I. There wasn't much left to say. It didn't matter, though. Dipper understood. He always understood somehow. How, I would never truly know. But it didn't matter. He was a mystery, another marvel in an already mind boggling universe. So I let the silence remain, pulling the brunette close to me and coiling my arms around his body, which seemed rather fragile when looked at in the light where the horrid bruises and lesions painted on his skin could be seen. But I was smarter than that. Dipper was anything but easily broken. After everything life seemed to throw at him, the fact that he was even still there was almost miraculous.

I rested my head directly below his chin, nuzzling into his neck affectionately. Damn, it was cold. Why was it so cold in Pacifica's stupid house? Well, it hadn't mattered much, because Dipper was warm. Like, sitting next to a fire kind of warm. I breathed in his scent. Dipper had this smell that really was all his own. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I recognized a bittersweet cologne, a bit of sweat from our previous activities, and something else. I could never figure out what was so unique about his scent. I just knew how intoxicating it was, and how at peace I felt in that moment. Dipper said his goodnight, looping an arm over my shoulders to absentmindedly play with my hair yet again. It was a great feeling. One I would have loved to enjoy forever, but sleep was sure to claim me eventually.

And soon it did.

I woke up the next morning to squealing. Ear-piercing, inhuman caterwauling that could only be explained in one word. Mabel. I groaned, begrudgingly opening my eyes to find that I still had my arms curled around Dipper's slender frame, but one of my legs had even come up to do the same. There was no way his sister saw that, though. We were covered almost to my chin with one of Pacifica's plush blankets. Dipper's hand rested on my shoulder blade, and he seemed to be returning to the real world a little bit slower than I had.

"Ohmygosh! This is the cutest thing ever!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down energetically. I mumbled incoherently, pulling the blanket up to cover my head. It was way too early for her shenanigans. But everyone was against me, it seemed. Dipper laughed, shifting so I was forced to move with him. "Pine Treee, it's too early!" I whined, clinging to him just a little bit tighter. He sat up and I could practically feel him rolling his eyes. "You should know by now that Mabel always gets what she wants, man. It's kinda the rule of the universe," he said with a shrug, ruffling my hair obnoxiously. I groaned, forcing myself upwards with a simper.

And that's when Mabel gasped, pointing towards me. Pacifica, who had been standing beside her with a smirk on her face, snorted from the effort it took not to laugh. "Good job, Dip. You really went to work on him," Pacifica teased, a bleached blonde eyebrow raised. Eyes wide, I immediately remembered the hickeys on my neck and chest. But it was so much worse than just that. Dipper's jagged scratching was very evident on my shoulders, sides, back, everywhere. I probably looked like hell. I felt my entire face burn up. Mabel shook her head, smiling sympathetically. "Honestly, broseph. How's he supposed to cover that up?" she asked, jutting out her hip and crossing her arms.

Dipper blinked, leaning over the bed to pick up a pair of black pants. The legs were too long to be his. He sighed, holding them out towards me. "Get dressed. The rest is over there," he said, pointing towards the couch, where everything else seemed to have been carelessly strewn. He then turned his gaze back towards the girls, who looked like they were about to bust out laughing. "And to answer your question, I wasn't exactly concerned about it. Can we just not talk about it? Privacy and all that." I chuckled, shooting Mabel and Pacifica a look that told them to turn around, and they did. I stood up and put on my pants as quickly as I could. Dipper did the same.

"So I'm guessing it was a good night," Pacifica joked, and Mabel laughed along with her.

She nudged the blonde. "Yeah. Real eventful."

Dipper wasn't amused. "I do not need to listen to this from either of you. I don't ask you about your sex life," he hissed, shuddering at the mere thought.

Mabel shrugged, spinning back around to face him. "But you're admitting that you did have sex?" she questioned with a grin. Obviously she was just doing this to get under his skin. And it worked.

I felt it was my turn to respond, though. "Nope. We were just attacked by a very large, angry cat," I said with an absolutely serious expression, buttoning up my shirt and adjusting the cuffs. I ran a hand along my now rather sore shoulder. "With extremely sharp claws. Obviously." I am such an asshole. Wow.

Dipper shot me a look that probably meant for me to shut up. Pacifica simply scoffed. But Mabel. Well... she was on the floor, rolling around and laughing hysterically. "What are you doing?" questioned a tall red head as she peeked through the doorway. She stopped, took one look at the scene in front of her, and turned around. "Nevermind," she added, hands against her temples as she walked away. I laughed. Wendy was definitely the least okay with that entire situation out of all of Dipper's friends, and it showed. I think a lot of that came from her watching him grow up, so it was like learning that your kid just lost their virginity. Heartbreaking for any parent and Wendy in the world.

Mabel stood up, her bed head falling over her face as she did. "So who wants to get dressed and buy some afternoon coffee for way more money than it's worth?" she asked, hands on her hips. I blinked. It was the afternoon? How late had Dipper and I been up? I wasn't sure, and I didn't let myself dwell on it. "Sure," Dipper replied, adjusting his jacket absentmindedly. "But first I'm gonna need to borrow your concealer." His sister just furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"I have some in my purse. But why do you-" Mabel stopped herself, eyes trailing his face. That's when they came to rest on the red mark on his jaw. Her expression grew smug. "Oh. Alright, got'cha." Dipper narrowed his eyes, knowing very well that she had noticed the hickey. I chuckled, retying the bow tie around my neck. I figured if I was stuck going to some overpriced coffee shop in a tux, then I might as well look damn good. Dipper seemed to think the exact same thing as he combed his hair with his fingers in the mirror. He then went on to attempt fixing his tie, but he didn't look like he had any idea how to really do so. I stepped towards him, waving the girls away. "You two go get dressed. We'll be out in a moment," I said dismissively.

Mabel nodded, beaming brilliantly. "Alright. We'll be ready in five minutes," she replied, taking Pacifica's hand. She then winked, looking rather proud of herself, most likely for being the one to set us up in the first place. "Don't take too long, lovebirds~" She and Pacifica giggled, turning and leaving Dipper and I to roll our eyes at them. I took the tie around his neck into my hands, trying to figure out just how he had knotted it up so much. "I'm gonna teach you how to do this sometime," I said, working on retying it.

Dipper hummed his acknowledgement, eyes focused on my hands. "Shoulders hurt?" he asked slyly, bringing his peridot gaze up to look at me. I chuckled, tightening the tie around his neck so it was just beneath the collar of his shirt. "Little bit, Pine Tree. You really left your mark on me," I responded, tipping up his chin. His smirk grew, and he let his hands come up to rest on my shoulders, tracing over the places he had dug his nails into. He stood up on his tiptoes, lips just ghosting over mine softly. Eyes fluttering closed, I slid both of my hands around his waist.

It was bliss, Dipper's affection and playfulness towards me. The way I could always tell by his demeanor that he had never faked a moment. The way even something so simple and meaningless when looked at from an outside perspective as a kiss could be so genuine from him. I think that was one of the reasons I had fallen so desperately in love with him. He leaned back, hands trailing downwards. He grabbed onto my collar, pulling me closer so we were nose to nose with one another. "Good," he murmured, closing his eyes and taking a breath. "I shouldn't be the only one experiencing the... aftermath." He laughed quietly at his own joke, and I scoffed.

I joined in, finding that Dipper had become a hell of a lot more bold the night before. And it definitely showed in his mischievous eyes. "You get what you ask for," I purred, pressing my nose against his neck. Dipper just hummed, absentmindedly dragging his fingers along my sides. The touch was warm, light as a feather, loving. I closed my eyes, enjoying the pleasant sensation against the fabric of my clothes. I would never understand how someone like him could've loved someone like me. I was the person who had tried to ruin him, and would've had I been a little bit slower to realize just what I had been about to miss. Once again I thought of Henry and the bet. I thought of the words Dipper had graced me with the night before.

I thought of his trust, and whether or not I really deserved it.

I watched with an amused grin on my face as Dipper stared at our surroundings disdainfully. He wrinkled his nose as a girl in a dress short enough to be a shirt walked by. Oh, but that was totally alright, because she had a pair of skull leggings about as thick as a piece of paper on beneath it. He rested his chin on his hand, eyes on Mabel. "So tell me again why - of all places - you took us to a fucking Starbucks?" he asked in a hiss, frowning. Mabel just laughed, waving a hand passively.

"Because I know how much you hate this place, that's why. Looove you~" she cooed, swaying in her seat beside Pacifica. The girls laughed, except Wendy, who seemed to understand the feeling completely. Candy and Grenda weren't there to react, but I was sure they would've agreed with Mabel. Except maybe Candy, considering... Yeah, I still wasn't sure how okay I was with her whole crush on Dipper thing. But that wasn't what mattered at the moment. Coffee was! Still, coffee was coffee, right? But I supposed that obviously wasn't the case, and I was about to have that drilled into my head. "I can't stand this..." Dipper muttered, leaning back in his chair.

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Here it comes," she said teasingly, a smirk pulling her glossed lips upwards just slightly.

"It's too... hipster-y. You ever notice that? How everyone in here has black hair or some crazy unnatural color? I mean, silver? Really? And don't even get me started on those obnoxious glasses. I hate it. Especially the people that bring their stupid miniature laptops in and start writing stories or whatever the fuck else, but get all shy and weird when people try to read it. Like, 'I'm gonna sit here and showcase my work to you. But don't look at it or anything'. And anyway, there's way better coffee places. This one's just popular because it's got some stupid catchy name that sticks in your head. It's ridiculous," he ranted, crossing his arms.

I raised an eyebrow, pushing up my glasses to subtly bring attention to them. Dipper noticed right away, and shoved my shoulder. "Not you, stupid. Yours aren't even like that. They aren't so big that they take up your entire face, and they're actually real. You have an actual serious vision problem. Tell me, how many people do you see in here with that same problem? None. And speaking of you, I can't even take you places. Three girls already have given you these really gross looks, and I do not appreciate it at all. I feel like I have to stick my tongue down your throat in public places just so people stop eyeing you," he growled, gaze flicking towards various people in the shop contemptuously. "And it's not like I even want to, because that should be a private, alone time kind of thing. It pisses me off."

Wendy chose then to pipe up. "Dude!" she exclaimed, voice an octave higher than usual and her cheeks about as red as her hair.

I ignored that, however. "I don't like girls," I said matter of factly, lips forming a thin line.

Dipper shook his head. "I don't like guys," he responded equally as seriously, a simper adorning his cute, pouting face.

"Touché," I said with a hum, watching the waitress as she sat down our individual drinks. Dipper reached out to take his, and she purposely let their hands brush against each other. He didn't seem to care all that much however, and took a sip of whatever it was Mabel had gotten him, since he hadn't even wanted anything. "Hope you enjoy it, sweetie. I can tell you don't particularly like this place," she said flirtatiously, batting her long, dirty blonde lashes. Did I mention how she had her damn shirt buttoned up higher just a few seconds ago? That was not okay. I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to say some smartass comment. He nodded slightly, absentmindedly. "I guess that was pretty loud. Sorry," he mumbled apologetically, chin once again on his hand. Did he seriously not realize what she was doing? I should've figured as much. Dipper Pines, ace detective, can't even tell when a girl is trying to get in his fucking pants. But he's all over the case when someone so much as looks at me.

The girl giggled, turning and walking away. I really didn't like the way she was swaying her hips as she left, or the way she flipped her curly, shoulder-length hair out of her thin face. I didn't like her skinny jeans or her checkered pink shirt that was, as I said, unbuttoned to reveal way more cleavage than necessary. Mabel seemed to realize this and snorted. A few seconds went by. She busted out laughing, catching the attention of everyone at the table. "Bro, I don't think she had her eyes on Bill," she said, hand over her mouth to cover her laughter. "Look at the bottom of your drink."

Dipper had a puzzled expression on his face, but held up the cup anyway. His face flushed, eyes skimming over the words. I pulled the drink from his hand, taking a look at it myself. In blue sharpie, it read:

I like your passion, cutie. Call me sometime 436-1357

And then I immediately understood Dipper's logic. It made total sense to me at that moment why he was so uncomfortable with the thought of people looking at me that way. I sat the cup down with a scowl. He just watched me curiously, cheeks pink and fidgeting in his seat. I glanced at the waitress, then brought my attention back towards Dipper. "You know, Pine Tree, you're onto something," I hissed, glaring at nothing in particular.

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

I leaned forward and kissed him. I think that got my point across.

Both to Dipper and the girl at the counter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **(Dipper)**

I threw a plain black t-shirt over my head, shoving my arms through. It was times like these that made me grateful most of my closet consisted of long sleeved shirts and jackets. Stupid tattoo... Stupid fucking bruises... I thought bitterly to myself, eyes narrowed at the wall. I sighed, picking my cap up from off my bed and placing it on my head softly. It felt good to have it back. I hated not wearing it, but it had definitely been nice having Bill thread his fingers through my hair all the time, too. I hummed, deciding that maybe I wouldn't wear it quite as often as usual simply for that reason. But then that might attract attention, him toying with my hair so much. I huffed. My life really had revolved around that single hesitant thought for a while. I hated it.

"Dipper! Come down here for a second!" called an older voice. I knew it was one of my uncles, but based on the clearness of the sound, I could tell it was Stanford. I scowled, eyebrows closely knit together in scrutiny. Something told me I knew what this was about. But I swallowed the urge to jump out the window and hide on the roof until he forgot that he needed me. I used to do that so much when I was younger. Surely it still worked. But I instead trudged down the stairs silently to come face to face with Ford. His glasses weren't on his face, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "We need to talk," he said with a frown, lines forming at the sides of his mouth to accent it.

Those words stung. No, they burned. I hated it when adults said those words. Because they implied that I had done something wrong. But I nodded anyway, and let Ford lead me to his room. I stepped inside, looking around. Usually, his room was off limits, but I had stopped caring all that much after middle school. But seeing it was definitely something else. His walls were a light gray, like sleet in the winter. There was little furniture, nothing but a bed in the corner and a desk cluttered with papers opposite to it. And speaking of papers, they were everywhere. All over the floor, tacked onto a bulletin board, and where there was no room there, they were also taped to the walls. The scent of old books and cigarettes wafted throughout the room. I wrinkled my nose. I hadn't known that uncle Ford smoked. But I understood. I probably would've if my job were as stressful as his, too.

He sat down at his desk, watching me blankly, yet somehow completely focused. He studied me, analyzing my expression. I averted my gaze, sitting down on the edge of his bed. I didn't say anything. He didn't either. I shifted where I sat, unable to look him in the eye. A few minutes passed like that. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing really came out. I just wanted to scoot into the corner and wait for him to leave me alone. I wasn't exactly that lucky, though.

"Dipper," he said, finally breaking the silence.

I didn't respond.

"Stan's pretty upset."

I flinched, eyes coming up for a second or two to connect with his. I hated how informed of this he was. "I see."

Ford's russet hues searched mine. "How long?" he questioned calmly, an eyebrow raised.

I closed my eyes for a few moments, then forced myself to open them once again. "Almost three months," I whispered, taking a deep breath.

Ford hummed, but gave no indication of any emotion whatsoever. He stood up. I awaited ridicule, anger, something. I didn't get that. He crouched down in front of me, keeping himself at eye level with me. "Kid, there is so much more to this than what you're seeing. Stan isn't mad at you for dating Bill. He's mad that you didn't tell him. After living here this long, you should know that the tough guy act is just that; an act. And a pretty bad one at that," he said, a hand on my shoulder. I looked down, thinking it over some. I supposed all of that was true. I had just been scared. I had always been able to handle rejection. But it was different when it was family.

I looked back up, nodding slowly. He was right. I knew he was right. "And c'mon. Everyone except Stan had already caught on," he went on mischievously.

I felt my ears heat up and my eyes go wide at that. "Wh-what...?"

Stanford chuckled, standing back up. "It was always really obvious by the googly eyes you two give each other. Even Soos figured it out. You're not good at hiding things, Dipper. Stan's just really oblivious," he explained with a kind smile. "But that's fine. Bill's a good kid, when things boil down. He helps out around the house if we ask, lets your sister put stickers all over him, and he obviously must be a saint to put up with all those walls you've got around you. That's all that matters, right?"

I thought about it for a few moments, eyes searching his expression. "Yeah," I murmured, standing up. "You're right. I'll... I'll go talk to Grunkle Stan."

Ford nodded, watching with a grin as I turned and walked away.

Pacifica beamed, hands on my arm. She jumped up and down excitedly, her cheeks tinted pink. "I know I already thanked you like, twelve times, but thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed. She had been on cloud nine ever since she and Mabel had started dating. Apparently, she had planned to give her the charm bracelet for Christmas, but decided it was best used as an aid in her confession. I smiled encouragingly, giving a slight nod. "Told you," I said teasingly, ruffling her long blonde hair.

Pacifica beamed, radiating cheerfulness. "You don't mind if I sit with Mabel today, right?" she asked, and by her expression, she knew I would tell her it was fine. But I rolled my eyes and gave the okay anyway, and she ran off towards my sister jubilantly. Mabel hugged her as soon as she sat down, the both of them laughing and blushing like mad. They really were the perfect couple. It made me happy to see them so carefree. I turned away from them joyfully, deciding that I'd sit with Bill at his table for once, instead of being alone. Although... I wasn't exactly fond of his friends.

I sat down beside him, and he immediately tensed up. I felt like I was interrupting something, but obviously I wasn't going to leave. If it was something so serious that he needed to keep it from me, then that was all the more reason for me to pester him about it. "You alright?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, my grin dropping into suspicion. What can I say? It's in my nature to be skeptical of things. Even Bill. Hell, especially him. He fidgeted. Not a good sign. "I'm fi-"

"Don't concern yourself with it, kid," the brunette across the table said, leaning his head on his hand.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't speak to me like that," I growled disdainfully. I already wanted to leave. How did Bill stomach their company?

The boy laughed. I think his name was Henry. Yeah, something arrogant and stupid like that. "Woah, man. It's a joke. Don't take it so seriously," he said, chugging down probably about half of his Pitt Cola. He turned his gaze towards the blonde beside me. "Bill, you should really put the missus on a tighter leash. Bitches don't really like to behave." The entire table erupted into laughter, except for Bill and I. I knew my face had to be red with anger. My fists were clenched and I was visibly trembling with rage. I stood up, flames in my eyes. Who the hell did he think he was? Bill grabbed my wrist.

I turned to look at him, mouth hung slightly agape. He had this conflicted expression on his face, like he was worried or scared about something. "Pine Tree," he muttered, eyes closed. Henry chuckled, and I snapped my attention back towards him to glare before looking back down at Bill. I yanked my hand away from him. "Don't 'Pine Tree' me. Are you actually gonna side with them?" I snapped, stepping back. He looked up at me desperately. I didn't give a damn. "You're fucking serious right now?!" Bill winced. I laughed, but it was that ironic, angry laugh that I hated the sound of. I don't think I had ever been so pissed at him. I spun on my heel and stormed off, hands balled into fists at my sides. Bill got up and chased after me, but I was smarter this time. I circled all the way around the school, up the stairs, and then back down on the opposite end. Just to get away from him.

I talked to Mrs. Donovan a long time that day.

But thankfully, school was soon over, and I could go home. I ignored Bill during that time. I didn't let him drive Mabel and I home. I didn't speak to him. I didn't let him get the better of me. I just needed to ride out my anger until it subsided. Then, maybe I would let him explain himself. Or apologize. Or beg for my forgiveness, because it would take a whole lot of that to fix what had been said and done. And that was if I was in a generous mood. But at the moment, I definitely was not. Mabel didn't ask about why I was so upset, but it was clear as day on her face that she wanted to know.

The walk back home was quiet. I said nothing, simply letting my thoughts run rampant in my mind. I ignored the constant buzzing of my phone. I wasn't ready to forgive, yet. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I realized Mabel had stopped. I did too, a puzzled expression on my face. "What's wrong?" I asked curiously, looking in the direction she was. That's when I noticed a small white bundle shivering under a pile of browned leaves. Mabel stepped towards it and leaned down. I followed after her slowly, cautiously. It was small, but an injured animal can be a very scary thing when provoked. Mabel had proved that when she tried to set an owl and a squirrel up on a 'date' and both of them attacked her when she was seven. She reached out a hand towards the shaking creature. "Hey," she murmured quietly. I saw one tall white ear twitch at the sound of her voice. The little thing lifted up its head to stare up at her, curious but still wary.

It was a small white cat - likely only a few months old. It had obsidian paws and two spots, one on its left eye and the other on its chest. It gazed upwards at us with two shining golden eyes. I knew immediately who it reminded me of, but choked down the smile that tugged ever so slightly at my lips. I was supposed to be angry with him, after all. Mabel had an almost heartbroken look in her eyes. "She's bleeding..." my sister said softly, stretching out her arm a little bit more. She was right. There were gashes all over its side, and mud clung to the wounds relentlessly. I couldn't stand the sight. It had to be freezing, too.

The kitten hissed, backing further into the small pile of leaves. I sat down on the concrete beside it, crossing my legs. I stared down at it. It stared up at me. Mabel watched the both of us with interest, wondering what it was I was trying to do. The kitten cocked its head, stretching out its neck to sniff the air near me. "You don't look so good," I whispered, voice calm. The cat of course didn't know a word, but I'd read somewhere that animals were capable of understanding tone of voice. The cat's whiskers twitched just barely. I clicked my tongue a few times, patting the ground in front of me lightly. "Let us help you out," I went on, hand still in front of it.

It stood up, not bothering to shake the leaves from its pelt. It meowed, taking a step forward to sniff my hand. A few moments passed by in silence before the kitten decided I was trustworthy and nudged its head into my hand. I chuckled, scratching lightly behind its ears. It purred, nose pressed against my palm. "Wow, bro. I didn't think you were much of an animal person. Especially cats," Mabel pointed out, running a hand gently along the little creature's spine. I shrugged, hooking my fingers around its stomach and lifting it up. It didn't struggle against me, but meowed weakly in protest. "No. I didn't like our cat back home because it constantly jumped on my shelves and pissed on my floor," I replied, hiding my bitterness about that entire situation.

I stood up, handing the kitten to Mabel, who took it gladly. "We should clean it up at home," I said, leading the way back to the Shack. Mabel nodded, following after me quietly, whispering soothing words to the bundle in her arms. The walk wasn't a particularly long one. It took no real time at all to get there. I opened the door for my sister, letting her step inside first. It was warm in there, which was good. It had been way too cold outside for an injured kitten. "I thought of a name for him. Oh, and I was wrong earlier. It's a boy," she commented cheerfully.

I hummed, nodding. "And what would that be?" I inquired, making my way past Stan, who didn't even seem to notice us walk in, and towards the bathroom.

"Patch. Short for Eyepatch," she responded with a grin, cradling the now sleeping animal lying against her chest. "Because he's got that one spot right on his eye. Eyepatch."

I laughed, grabbing a towel from inside the cabinet. "I like it," I said, gesturing for Mabel to hand me the cat. She did, and I sat it down in the sink to begin cleaning the dirty wounds on it's stomach and side. He stirred, opening up his large vermilion eyes to stare at me. I smiled, rubbing his chin. Then I dampened the towel, careful not to run the water on Patch, and held it up to begin. But Mabel seemed eager to do it instead. "Let me do it. You go tell Grunkle Stan about him. I'll handle this part," she insisted, taking the towel from my hand. I shrugged, giving her a nod and doing as she'd said.

I called for Stan, who was counting his earnings for the day. Looked like it had been a slow one. He grunted to let me know his attention was on me, but he didn't look up from the stack of money on the counter. I was glad we had fixed things after the whole dating Bill fiasco, but it still seemed like he didn't really know how to talk to me sometimes. That was okay, though. As long as everything was alright, I didn't mind the awkwardness. "So Mabel and I found this kitten outsi-"

Stan shook his head. "Absolutely not. We've got enough animals as it is," he replied, putting away the money into the register. I opened my mouth to argue. He just eyed me for a moment or two until I closed it. I knew I should've insisted Mabel ask him. If there was anyone on this planet capable of getting everything they want from Stan Pines, then it was definitely her. I sighed, turning around and making my way towards her. She stepped out of the bathroom with the kitten in her arms. His fur stuck up awkwardly at places that were still a little wet, but he was otherwise good as new.

Mabel raised one of his paws up and made him wave. Patch just gave me this look, that even though he was an animal, I understood fully. The 'is your sister in her right mind' look. I got that look a lot. "See how cute he is, bro? I'm gonna make him a sweater, and we're gonna go to the store and buy him treats and toys and little-" I raised a hand, giving my head a shake. She stopped, eyebrows creased together. "What's wrong...?" The innocence and genuine concern of her question made my heart lurch in my chest. I hated upsetting Mabel, especially after she'd already grown so attached, but there was nothing we could do.

"We can't keep it," I whispered, rubbing the back of my neck uncomfortably. I looked down, unable to keep my eyes on her. There was a long silence. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I forced my gaze upwards. Mabel's cheeks were red, and her eyes were brimming with tears. She sniffed, using one hand to wipe her already puffy eyes.

"Do you think Pa-Pacifica would take him?" she asked almost inaudibly, voice hitching.

I simpered, picking at my fingernails. "Of course she would. But..." I sighed, closing my eyes for a few seconds. "But you know her parents would never allow it. And they have a dog. It just isn't a good idea to ask..." Mabel was clearly heartbroken. I knew she wouldn't agree to set the cat free, not in a million years. I also knew she would never let me take it to a shelter. She'd want to see it whenever she so desired to. I mean, I knew someone that would take it. And he definitely did owe me one after the whole incident earlier that day. This was by no means me forgiving him for what happened. But Mabel was crying, and that meant I had to do something to fix it. I reached out. Mabel gave me an odd look, but she handed me the cat, which purred contentedly in my arms.

"I have an idea."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **(Bill)**

I tapped my foot impatiently, anxiously. Dipper had been pissed. He had avoided me all day. I had texted and called and tried to apologize. He didn't answer me, of course. I wanted to explain. I didn't know how, but I would try. I wanted to apologize. And I already had that mapped and scripted in my head. Why was he so complicated? Why was he so absolutely impossible for me to even begin to comprehend? These questions muddled my brain for what felt like hours. I couldn't focus on anything. I couldn't even sit still long enough to do my homework. It had crossed my mind to go to him, but I had no idea how he would react. If I pushed him any further, I was a dead man. Or maybe I was just letting fear get the best of me. Is this what love did to people?

I didn't like it.

I didn't like it at all.

I hated it.

There was a knock on my door. I hadn't even realized I'd done it, but I sprang up immediately. I darted towards the door and swung it open. I didn't care about anything except fixing what I'd done. "Pine Tree! I'm really, really sorry about what happened! Please, just let me tell you what..." but I stopped myself, taking a moment to study him. He was shocked for a moment, but it quickly faded back into anger. I knew he wasn't there to forgive me. That was made even more obvious with Mabel right behind him. Her eyes were puffy and there were tear stains on her cheeks. And she had a... cat in her hands?

I furrowed my eyebrows, stepping aside to allow them in. "What's going on?" I asked, watching curiously as the both of them stepped inside. The cat meowed pitifully, struggling against Mabel's grip. It didn't seem to use its claws, though. I sat down on the couch, a question in my expression. Dipper was ready to answer it, too. He explained to me what had happened, and why he needed me to take it. I hummed, unsure how to really respond. But if I said yes, then surely he'd be quicker to forgive me. It wasn't like I didn't have the space, regardless. "You'll keep him, right...?" asked a near tears and distraught Mabel. Now, how could I say no to that face?

I nodded, grinning. "Of course, Shooting Star. I owe you, after all," I said, waving a hand carelessly. She beamed, jumping up and down jubilantly. The already restless cat seemed to grow agitated by her constant movement, and gave a loud cry. She frowned, sitting it down on the ground. All three of us watched the tiny creature walk around the room, sniffing just about everything. It came towards me, looking up at me with shimmering eyes. I chuckled, patting the top of its head affectionately. It was pretty cute. It seemed decently mild mannered as well. Yeah. I could probably live with taking in a cat. It didn't bother me at all.

I looked back up, and Mabel seemed about to thank me. She didn't really have an opportunity to, though. Not before Dipper took a few steps towards me. He placed a hand on my arm, pulling me upwards. "Mabel, you don't mind if I talk to him for a second, right? You're free to stay in here with Patch until we come back," he said, tone polite but eyes narrowed and menacing. Well, I had never expected those gorgeous viridian eyes to look so fucking terrifying. But at that moment, they most certainly did. Mabel noticed the tension between us, and hummed her response good-naturedly, crouching down to play with the cat. "Good," Dipper hissed, pulling me upwards and leading me off towards my room, which was up the stairs.

He closed the door behind us, then spun around to face me, arms crossed. Any speech I'd had prepared crumbled away in my mind. I had no idea what to say, what to do. I just stood in the middle of my room, mouth hung agape. Dipper raised an eyebrow. "No excuse?" he questioned irritably, lips pulled into a thin line on his face. I sighed, eyes focused on the ground. How was I supposed to explain it? I'd have to bring up the bet, which I knew would only make him angrier. No, he'd be fucking seething. There was no way I'd even have a shot at a second chance if I so much as mentioned the bet. So I had to think of something else.

"Pine Tree, I really am sorry about what happened. Please. What can I do to make it up to you?" I asked, practically begging at that point. But as long as I left the conditions of his forgiveness up to him, then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about mentioning the bet with Henry. He scowled, eyes directed at mine. Dipper tilted his head from side to side, giving my offer a bit of thought. I bit the inside of my cheek, waiting. He huffed, leaning back against the door with an unreadable expression. I hadn't even noticed it, but I had literally been holding my breath. I gasped, intaking what was probably way more air than I needed.

Dipper rolled his eyes, but I saw him smile for a split second. So I did have a chance... Maybe. "I have one condition, and some things I want you to tell me," he said calmly, giving no indication as to whether or not I should've been scared. I honestly should've known. Dipper of all people would want to know all the answers. It was in his nature.

I sighed. "Okay. Shoot."

Dipper nodded, standing up a little straighter. "Three things nobody else knows about you," he stated, giving a slight shrug.

I was confused, and it showed. "Why?" I inquired, eyebrows furrowed.

"Because," he hissed, hostility evident as ever in his demeanor and his voice. "Believe me, Bill. There's a method to my madness."

Exhaling, I decided to go with it. If he wanted to know more about me, he should've just asked. Even had I refused, he should know by now that with enough prying that I'd answer him. I figured I'd just say whatever came to mind first. "Umm... Well, I don't do it much and all, but... I'm actually pretty good at singing," I muttered, cheeks warm. That was a bit embarrassing, but it wasn't like I hadn't planned on ever on saying it to Dipper. I just hadn't planned to say it in this situation, though. I didn't really like talking about it, for reasons I wouldn't explain to him then and there. I had my reasons. So... Number two. This one actually stung a bit to think about.

"I got my first pair of glasses in second grade. They were these really thin red ones, and I guess people thought I looked weird in them. Or maybe wire glasses are just the stereotypical nerdy ones that nobody likes. Regardless, I got made fun of a lot that year, and one day a girl walked up to me. She asked me if I wanted to play a game with she and her friend, and I immediately said yes because I never really did anything but sit around during recess. Well... turns out I was the game. Her friend pulled her gum out of her mouth, shoved it in my hair, and then they ran away giggling," I said, digging my heel into the carpet. I hated talking about that. "My mom ended up having to cut most of my hair off... We made an agreement that any pictures of me that were taken during that time were never to be hung up in the house."

When I brought my eyes up, I noticed that Dipper had that expression on his face. The one I knew so well. He was looking at me like he had finally figured something out about me. Like I was a puzzle he was beginning to put together. I really didn't like that look. "People actually made fun of you?" he questioned skeptically, trying not to let the empathy in his tone show too much. I glanced to the side, nodding weakly in response. I chuckled dryly, forcing the laughter. "Yeah. Hard to believe, huh?" I remarked, fiddling with the collar of my shirt. Dipper nodded, seemingly having trouble comprehending the very thought.

But he recovered quickly. "Alright. Last one," he said, regaining that angered tone he'd had earlier.

I sighed, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "Have I ever told you the specific reasons I live alone; you know, why my parents aren't around?" I asked, eyes closed. It hurt to think about my parents. It always pained me to remember. But I knew that for Dipper to even consider giving me a second chance, then I'd have to. I wasn't so stupid that I hadn't taken Wendy's advice to heart. I knew that he wasn't the kind of person to forgive and forget. So I had to make my three secrets worth his forgiveness. "No, you haven't," he replied, taking a few steps forward and sitting down on the bed next to me. I guess that meant I had no choice.

I exhaled slowly, then forced myself to relive every detail. I told him about it all, and I didn't skip a beat. I didn't really know why, but once I started, it actually felt kind of good to get it all off my chest. So I rolled with it, and he listened intently to what I had to say. Even when he was angry with me, Dipper provided more comfort than any other person had ever bothered. And by the time the story was over, he had his head rested against my shoulder and one of his hands over mine. "That's... I'm sorry," he whispered, closing his eyes.

I scoffed. "Don't be. I'm the one that's apologizing," I said, letting my head fall against his. A moment passed. I chuckled. "Is there anything else you want from me?"

Dipper was silent for a few seconds before responding. "I have a request and... a question," he murmured, eyes closed. I hummed to signal that I was paying full attention to him. "What is it you... love about me?" he asked his question almost inaudibly. I had to strain myself to hear him. And even still, I found the inquiry odd. Was he testing something? How genuine I was towards him? Or was he just curious?

Maybe I was missing something here.

"Pine Tree, I see the fucking stars in your eyes. And when I say that, I mean it. I see the goddamn galaxy every time you look at me. It's so strange and breathtaking, the feeling I have whenever I'm around you. I could sit here and write you a novel about all of the things I love about you. And I'll bet you'd like that, but I'm not a poet. I can barely even comprehend my own thoughts, let alone explain them to you," I went on with a sigh. He laughed, but his expression remained stoic. I huffed, wrapping arm around his shoulders and pulling him into my side. We were silent for a while. I just let Dipper close his eyes, and I listened to his quiet, steady breathing. Once again, I wondered how someone like him could've fallen for me. But he seemed to be asking the exact same thing, so maybe it made sense to question it.

Finally, I decided to break the silence. "Your request?" I asked, eyes directed at my door.

Dipper shrugged. "Cut those friends of yours out entirely. I don't like the person you become around them," Dipper replied, tightening his hold on my hand.

Lucky for you, Pine Tree; I don't like that person either.

But that isn't what I said. "And... what if that person really is me...?" is what I actually said, tone soft and fearful.

Dipper gave a slight shake of his head. "It's not."

"How do you know?"

He hummed, but said nothing for a few seconds. I thought he had no real response. That is, until he said, "I wouldn't still be here if either of us actually believed that." But how did he know I didn't believe that? Maybe I did... I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure of anything anymore. Not when it came to myself. Not when it came to Dipper. I had started from square one, and I'd only moved backwards from there.

But I didn't argue with him. It was probably best we just left things where they were. It was peaceful, serene. I liked that. I liked the way Dipper always seemed to put me at ease. Even when I was as much of a wreck on the inside as I'd been that day. I still was. At least, a little bit. But the crashing storm of emotions, thoughts, and fears within my fucked up mind seemed to have softened into a wave, softly lapping at my sanity and sense of right and wrong. Oof. Way too poetic to have been come up with by me, but that definitely got my point across.

I unraveled my arm from around his shoulders and stood up. "We should get back to Shooting Star. She probably thinks you killed me or something," I joked, holding out a hand for him to take. Dipper chuckled, letting me help him stand. I always really liked how his smile somehow reflected in his eyes. Like, you could see how genuine he was through those beautifully luminous pools of green. I had always been captivated and baffled by them. Did my eyes do that? Was I possibly just beyond any form of truthfulness in my appearance? Or maybe it was just that I had lost that same light that I saw in Dipper so long ago that I couldn't remember if they ever had. But that... was a story for another day.

Dipper pulled me by my arm, a concerned expression on his face. "You alright?" he inquired, head tilted to the side curiously. I smiled, giving a nod in response. He reciprocated it, leading me out of my room and back down the stairs. Mabel was sitting upside down on my couch with the cat - Patch, I think - lying on top of her chest, curled up into a ball. Her legs were up against the wall and her hair touched the floor. Well, at least her shoes had been taken off. It wasn't like I really cared, though. "Oh, hey there, lovebirds," she cooed in a sing-song-y tone. "Ships sailing again, bro-bro?" she went on teasingly, eyes narrowed humorously as she laughed at her own joke. I honestly still had no idea what 'shipping' was in the first place, though... Was that strange? Probably to any teenage girl on the planet, it was.

She didn't bother waiting for a response, catching on quickly. "Good," she said, watching as Patch stirred, standing up and hopping off the couch. She twisted to sit upright, beaming at the both of us. "Then you can drive us into town and we can buy everything we need for Eyepatch. Also no, you don't have a choice." I rolled my eyes, but nodded anyway. I figured I might as well, since I'd be caring for the little bugger from then on out. Dipper shrugged, smiling brightly once again. "Let's go, then," he said simply, leading the way out the door.

Sitting down on my bed with a pencil in hand, I attempted to do my homework once again. It wasn't working too well, though. My mind kept flitting off to thinking about Dipper. While we'd been out, I'd noticed some things that I couldn't stand knowing. One; when I pulled on his arm, even lightly, he hissed out in pain. Mabel had caused this on multiple occasions, especially whenever she poked him just to get a rise out of her brother. So that meant things were only getting worse. Two; I hadn't noticed it earlier in all my panic and fear, but he obviously wasn't sleeping. The dark purple rings beneath his eyes were proof enough of that. I knew it had everything to do with him being stalked, and I couldn't stomach the very thought.

I sighed, tossing my pencil on the nightstand. I guess there was no use in even trying anymore. Maybe I'd be focused enough in the morning to do it before class. Probably not... I decided I'd make it a mission to talk to Dipper about the entire situation, but he was stubborn. Often more stubborn than I am. I guess that meant I had to give him no real choice in the matter. It was going to either be telling me what's been going on or stay with me until it passes. I doubted he'd be very quick to say yes to either of those. It was worth a shot, though. Still, it was apparent that I wasn't going to make any real progress with anything until I had that dealt with. I supposed that meant I should just turn in early. I glanced down at my unfinished homework, deciding that was probably for the best.

The sound of a quiet meowing brought me back to reality. I looked over the side of the bed to see Patch with his claws hooked in the fabric of the mattress and suspended just above the ground. I rolled my eyes, turning away to put up my things. It would figure out how to get up here eventually. Another meow, this time louder, filled the otherwise silent room. I sighed, looking down at the creature, which had moved up less than an inch in that time, it seemed. Pleading golden eyes stared upwards at me innocently. I scoffed. "You're damn lucky that Pine Tree and Shooting Star are so smitten with you..." I muttered, reaching down and picking up the spotted kitten by its stomach. I sat him down on the bed beside me, watching him in slight interest.

Patch took a step towards me, placing his front paws on my leg. He cocked his head to the side, staring back up at me with the most unreadable look a cat could possibly muster. I huffed, shoving him away and lying down. I twisted to be on my side, reaching outwards and turning off the lamp. My bedroom went nearly pitch black. There was the sound of soft mewling from near my feet. I ignored it, closing my eyes. Patch pressed a paw gingerly against my leg again, seemingly testing whether or not I would kick him away. When I didn't really respond, he clambered up my leg to crawl up my body and towards my shoulders.

He stopped right there to slide down the blanket and on the bed right beside my face. I opened my eyes to see large glowing ones staring directly back at me. "Mow...?" It almost sounded like a question. I chuckled, but said nothing. Patch leaned forward, giving me a sniff before nudging the covers and burrowing his way underneath. He laid down and curled up against me, right below my chin, purring contentedly. I stared into the darkness blankly, bitter about the overly affectionate creature being there, yet somehow slightly more at ease. "Like I said, cat," I muttered angrily shutting my eyes yet again. "Damn lucky." Patch just nuzzled my chin with the top of his head, kneading the mattress happily. I didn't shove him away, but I pretended not to be okay with it, as if I had anyone around to lie to.

"Stupid furrball," I grumbled, giving a soft smile that contradicted my words.

Great. More things it's out of character for me to like so much...


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **(Dipper)**

Mabel lie on the couch with her head on Pacifica's lap and her legs propped up on Bill and I. "Seriously, Grunkle Stan; how old is this movie?" she asked, waving a hand towards the screen, then shoving it into a bowl of popcorn to pull out a handful. I rolled my eyes with a grin, watching as she forced all of it into her mouth without even a second thought. Stan, sitting in his recliner, just grunted in response. Soos laughed and Bill scoffed, leaning his head on his hand. I liked this. It was peaceful. Things seemed normal again, but... better somehow. I think it was Bill, and maybe even a little bit of Pacifica as well.

Admittedly, I had never really recovered from almost losing Mabel. I knew it, too. I just hated to say it. But I think her dating Pacifica had made it easier to leave her alone more. I knew neither of them would hurt one another, at least not intentionally. And it wasn't like I had to worry about guys all over Mabel, because as boy crazy as she is, she has much more common sense than to do anything Pacifica wouldn't be okay with. But then there was Bill. I think he affected my view on things and how I just went about acting more than anyone else.

Whereas the relationship between my best friend and my sister put me more so at ease, I couldn't quite put my finger on what he did that brought about all these changes. Because I knew I was almost like a whole other person now, at least in some ways. It was a certain confidence, a willingness to say things I otherwise wouldn't. And there was something else. Something I couldn't quite explain. I leaned onto his shoulder, closing my eyes. I wasn't really interested in what was on the screen, so it wasn't like I missed out on anything. Grunkle Ford, who was standing against the doorway, raised an eyebrow at us. He turned his gaze towards Stan with a grin.

"You wanna be the one to tell their parents that they're both gay or should I?" he asked with a chuckle, adjusting the glasses resting on his nose. The both of them shared a laugh, which was a rare occurrence. It wasn't often that they got along very well, but things had been pretty serene lately. I felt my ears burning, and opened my mouth to protest. "I already told you! I'm not-" But Bill would never let me win that argument. He pressed both hands against my cheeks, tilting his head to the side and crashing his lips into mine. Both of the girls in the room snorted, holding back their laughter. Soos and the Stans just kind of blinked, either taken for a loop or unsure how to react.

Bill leaned back, and I gasped for air needily. He had this smug look on his face, like he had won some sort of competition or award. I scowled. "That... that doesn't count. You don't count," I muttered, crossing my arms angrily, but it wasn't like I looked all that convincing with my face as red as it was. Bill rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Oh, and by the way, Pine Tree; you'll be staying with me for a bit," he said, expression casual but eyes laced with something new. I furrowed my eyebrows, glancing around the room.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" I asked, curious but still wary.

Bill shook his head. "Nope."

At this point, everyone in the room had their full attention on us and not the movie. "I see. And why will I be staying with you?"

Bill had this look that I couldn't identify. "I don't like you being here anymore," he replied simply.

I sighed, exasperation evident in the way I slumped my shoulders. I knew what this was about. "I'm not having this argument with you tonight, Bill. Not now, okay?" I inquired in annoyance, closing my eyes.

Bill just shook his head. "Seriously, don't give me that, Pine Tree. I keep trying to talk to you, but you just push me away. I will gladly take this into the other room, but I'm done with all the excuses," he replied solemnly, fearfully. "I want to know what you're not tell-"

I shoved Mabel's legs off of me, standing up. I was fuming at that point. I didn't really know why. I think I was more frustrated with my situation than anything. But I needed to take it out on someone. I needed to say it, or it would just keep festering in my mind. I spun around to face Bill, eyes blazing furiously. "What I'm not telling you? Fine. Bill, somebody keeps fucking sneaking into the Shack late at night, creeping up into my room, and doing god knows what. I wake up dizzy and with new fucking bruises nearly every goddamn morning and I don't even know why. I think they're drugging me, too, because some days I'm seeing double for hours and I'll have a migraine like nothing I've ever experienced before. I'm being followed and I feel like I'm being watched every second of the day. They leave me notes and sometimes they call my phone and I haven't slept in almost a week. A week, Bill! I'm going fucking insane, and I just want to deal with it on my own time!" I was screaming by the end of my little rant.

I went silent, staring at Bill's stunned and horrified expression with eyes that were clouded with tears I forced myself to choke down. "Are you happy now?" I went on almost silently, visibly shaking at that point. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed at a loss for what to say. He stood up in front of me, hands reached out towards me, but I stepped back. I shook my head, keeping it low so my cap covered my eyes. "I don't think you realize how scary this is. I wanted to tell you, but I'm not stupid. You of all people would get involved, and you'd either get yourself in trouble or hurt. And if I make any moves I shouldn't, Mabel could get hurt. Or Pacifica. So just... Stop," I was begging at that point, the heels of my hands against my eyes. My voice was weak and it was obvious I was holding back sobs. "Please."

I felt hands on my shoulders and looked up. Bill was smiling somberly, sympathy making his azure eyes glimmer gently. "I know... I'm sorry," he said quietly, pulling me towards him and winding his arms around my body. He just kept apologizing over and over, fingers threading through my hair softly. I took a deep breath, forcing my eyes downwards towards Mabel and Pacifica's own. They just stared at me. Like I was some sort of injured animal that needed their assistance. Like I was a broken toy. I clenched my jaw, still keeping my breathing and my heartbeat level, although it was somewhat painful to attempt it. "Don't give me those looks..." I choked out, closing my eyes and waiting for them to respond.

"Bro-bro..." Mabel whimpered, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I didn't even notice. Oh my god, I am so sorry."

I buried my nose into Bill's shoulder, attempting to block out their fervent apologies. "Don't be..." I croaked, a hand grasping at Bill's sleeve. They went silent, catching onto my pleading tone. There was a long time where nothing really happened. Then Bill pulled himself away to be arm's length from me, hands gripping my shoulders tightly. I looked into narrowed, blurry eyes. I felt something in my heart lurch painfully, a part of me shattering. "My statement still stands, Pine Tree. You're coming with me," he said firmly, lips forming a thin line on his face. I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could, Stan chimed in.

"Kid, you should just go. No one's gonna stop you. And if things really are as bad as you say, then... I think that's probably for the best anyway," he said calmly, a certain somberness revealing itself in the way his voice quivered near the end. I hated making people worry for me. I hated feeling like I needed to be coddled. Ford picked up on this, too. "It's in your best interest that you stay somewhere else for the night. I'll just up our security some tomorrow and then you're free to come home. Deal?" he asked in an effort to make me feel a little better. I let my eyes fall to the ground, then brought them back up to connect with Bill's own. He looked so desperate, so utterly anxious. There was a new fear in his eyes I had never seen, and it killed me to look at.

I bit my lip, nodding weakly. "Deal," I whispered, hanging my head.

Neither Bill nor I spoke. I just sat quietly, eyes directed at the wall. He had both of his arms wrapped around my thin frame and his forehead against my shoulder. I ran my fingers through his bright blonde hair, looking down long enough to note the unusual way it faded into what was nearly a pitch black color underneath. I rested my chin on top of his head, still tugging and threading through the platinum locks gently. Honestly, I was convinced this was more for the peace of mind of Bill than it was for me. That was okay, though. I at least felt less useless in that case. Still. "You're an idiot," I murmured softly.

Bill just scoffed, breath warm against my skin. "Tell me something I don't know, Pine Tree." His voice seemed broken.

I felt like I was at fault for his brokenness. "I'm an idiot too," I replied simply.

There was a moment of absolute silence. "Why's that...?"

I chuckled dryly, humorlessly. "For falling in love with someone just about as stupid as I am." It wasn't a joke. And he knew it. A few moments went by. Bill began to hum. The sound was soft, barely loud enough to hear. But it was comforting nonetheless. I knew the song, too. I just couldn't quite name it. "Sing," I said, closing my eyes. Bill looked up, pushing himself away from me enough to lock his eyes with mine.

"Why?"

"You said you were pretty good at it."

"Yeah. And?"

"I'd like to hear it."

There was a blush across Bill's cheeks, and he seemed hesitant. But he cleared his throat for a moment or two, opening his mouth to sing the song he'd been humming earlier.

I'm bleeding out

So if the last thing that I do

Is to bring you down

I'll bleed out for you

It was then that I put a name to the song, and I chuckled good-naturedly. Of course Bill would be into that genre of music. Still, beyond my amusement was amazement. The notes rolled off his tongue naturally, flawlessly. I was honestly a little bit at awe.

So I bare my skin

And I count my sins

And I close my eyes and I take it in

I'm bleeding out

Bill's voice rang like bells in my ears, familiar yet somehow foreign. I didn't think I'd know it was him had I not been watching him sing. I leaned back against the head board of his bed, listening contentedly.

I'm bleeding out for you, for you

I felt the gravity of his words. Something told me they meant more to Bill than he'd ever tell me. How I could tell, I wasn't sure. It was just something about the way he sang it, without his usual sarcastic tone and pitch. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sound of Bill's voice against my ears.

When the day has come

And I've lost my way around

And the seasons stop to hide beneath the ground

When the sky turns gray and everything is screaming

I'll reach inside

Just to find my heart is beating

A smile tugged at my lips. I reached out my hands, pressing them against his face and pulling him closer. His forehead touched against my own lightly, and I could feel his breath tickling my already reddened cheeks as he continued.

You tell me to hold on

Oh, you tell me to hold on

But innocence is gone

And what was right is wrong

Bill sucked in air for a split second, closing his eyes as he went on.

Cause I'm bleeding out

His voice was hushed, but still somehow held that same impact that it would've had he just belted the notes out. I would never understand why he had wanted to keep this secret. His voice was fucking fantastic, a gorgeous mix of frustration and adoration as he sang the words that I would've assumed he had come up with on his own had I not previously known the song. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, listening intently as the verse went on.

So if the last thing that I do

Is to bring you down

I'll bleed out f-

And that's when everything crashed into the ground. "William...?" a feminine voice inquired, snapping both of us back into reality. Eyes suddenly wide, I turned my head to see a woman, likely in her late thirties, standing there. Her sunshine blonde hair framed her thin face perfectly, caramel eyes piercing into us questioningly. Her narrow, pointed nose was wrinkled a bit and her glossy pink lips were pursed. The woman quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms. I felt my entire face flare up in recognition, and I looked back at Bill, who seemed torn between mortification, horror, and shock. His mouth hung agape, but nothing came out for what felt like eternity.

"M...Mom?"

I let my hands fall back to my sides, watching as Bill's mother stepped towards the both of us. Bill didn't move, paralyzed by his realization. "I think we should talk. Now," she said, eyes glancing between us. Once again, Bill was still where he sat. I pressed a hand against his shoulder, shaking him gently. He shook his head, seemingly out of whatever trance she had put him in. I watched as the woman made her way back downstairs and stood up. Holding out a hand, I helped Bill up. He thanked me halfheartedly, still somewhat locked up in his own thoughts. I led the way down the stairs and into the living room. Bill gave no indication of complaint and came along silently.

His mother sat on the couch downstairs, watching Patch with curious brown eyes. Patch just sniffed her, then stood up on his hind legs to press his paws against her knee. She reached out a hand to pick him up, but as soon as he heard Bill and I coming he turned around and darted towards us. I leaned down and picked him up, sitting down on a chair across from Bill's mother. Patch curled up on my lap, purring like I was the most comfortable thing on the planet. Bill didn't sit. He just stared, eyebrows creased together, at his mother. She cleared her throat, fidgeting uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "William, I-"

Bill didn't allow her to continue any further. "Don't call me that," he interrupted, voice harsh. The woman sighed, her head low.

"Alright. Bill. I know you're angry, and you have a right to be, but-"

Bill laughed chaotically, his voice echoing throughout the otherwise quiet house. I flinched at the sound, growing frustrated by his attitude already. But I remained silent as he spoke. "Angry?! I'm fucking furious, in case you hadn't noticed. What makes you think-" I glared at him, choosing right then to pipe up.

"Bill. Calm yourself," I ordered, a dark look in my eyes. He returned the expression, jaw clenched tightly. His mother nodded towards me, grateful I had said something. She took a deep breath, smoothing down the wrinkles in her lavender button up. In a moment, she had regained her confidence and she looked up at him with stern eyes. "I will make an effort to be civil with you, but I will not be talked to that way by my child. This is my house and you will listen when I speak to you, William," she said with an edge to her tone. Bill grinded his teeth together at the sound of his name, cringing in disgust at it. "Do you understand?"

Bill scoffed, a sarcastic grin on his face. I forced myself not to get up and smack him in the back of the head. I just stayed where I was, choking back my comments. "You really think that after everything you still have any authority over me?!" he retorted, seething. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you don't." And with that, he spun on his heels and stomped back up the stairs. His mother just sighed, head in her hands. I shook my head, a sympathetic smile on my face.

"I'm sorry," I said simply, and she looked up at me.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "No need to be. I'm sorry you had to be here for that," she replied quietly, hands folded on her lap. "So I take it you and my son are dating?"

I nodded, and she hummed. "Well, then, I suppose I had better thank you. Most people don't have the patience for him," she went on sadly, a look in her eyes I couldn't read. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"You'd be surprised, actually. He isn't usually like that."

"I see... What's your name, dear?"

I ran a hand along Patch's spine, ignoring his claws scraping against my leg as he kneaded the spot he laid upon. "Um.. Dipper. Dipper Pines," I said, trying hard not to avert my gaze from her.

She nodded. "Alright, Dipper. May I ask if you're living here? It is rather late, you know."

I gave a faint laugh, waving my hand dismissively. "No. I'm just staying here temporarily for some personal reasons. Bill decided to take it upon himself to remove me from my living environment for a day or two until things resolve themselves," I explained with as few details as possible.

"That's awfully sweet of him."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Cipher, I don't think you give Bill enough credit."

There was a thoughtful expression on her face as she took my words into consideration. "Maybe not..." she murmured, seemingly disconnected from the conversation.

Patch hopped off my lap, interested in something in the opposite corner of the room. I stood up, giving her my best comforting smile. "Anyway, I should probably go calm him down," I said, about to turn and go.

Bill's mother reached out a hand, signalling for me to stop. "Wait." I froze, eyebrows furrowed. "When you said I don't give him enough credit, what did you mean?"

I blinked, finding the question odd. I thought it was a self explanatory statement, but I had also spent quite a bit of time with Bill. "He's arrogant and obnoxious and he gets on my nerves constantly, but I honestly don't think there's anyone I'd rather be with," I replied fondly, the smile adorning my face widening slightly. "I think he's started acting a whole lot more like himself since last time you saw him, and that's probably for the best. You just have to give it time, and you'll begin to notice it, too."

Mrs. Cipher returned the smile, looking a little bit higher in spirit from just that. "You're very wise beyond your years, Dipper," she remarked teasingly, sounding like she felt a little bit better. I just laughed.

"I like to think so."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

 **(Bill)**

I didn't understand. Or... maybe I did. I mean, I probably did. I usually did really well in history. I just couldn't focus. Not on the words the teacher kept spouting out. Not on the paper in front of me. Not on anything. It all just seemed blurred. Every sound was nothing but white noise buzzing against my eardrums. Every letter I scribbled down was just a collection of lines and curves on paper. And things had been like this all day. I grit my teeth, hand freezing in place. Why was this so goddamn difficult?!

I didn't even realize I had done it, but I threw the pencil at the wall, muttering angry obscenities to myself. The teacher and everyone else in the room stared at me wide-eyed, including Dipper. I stood up, jaw clenched furiously. "This doesn't make any fucking sense!" I hissed, eyes narrowed and glaring at nothing in particular. Dipper remained silent, but I could tell he wanted to scream at me for making a scene. It was plain as day in his expression. The teacher gasped at my outburst, hands on her hips.

"Mr. Cipher, language! That is no way to speak in-"

But I didn't allow her to finish the thought. I was just so unbelievably frustrated. "Shut up! Stop calling me that! I hate that name, that stupid fucking name!" I screamed, head in my hands, tearing at my hair mercilessly. What was wrong with me? I wasn't sure myself, and it seemed that the teacher had no idea either. She just stared at me, taken aback by my response. But Dipper had had enough. He stood up in his seat, strode towards me, and grabbed me by my arm. He yanked me towards the door with a strength I never knew he had and shoved me out of the classroom. He turned and faced the teacher, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm really sorry about that. I'll handle it, if you'll excuse me," he said politely, then proceeded to close the door, separating us from the class of arrantly confused teenagers.

When he spun around to face me, there was a dark, absolutely furious look in his eyes. "What the hell were you thinking?" he growled, his voice hushed so there was no possibility of anyone else hearing. I stood, staring at him helplessly, mouth agape. Any words I could've said evaded me, and nothing came out. I felt myself breaking down at the seams. I felt everything beginning to crash on top of me. My 'I don't care' facade and the usual demeanor I carried around with me. All of it crumbled away at the introduction of my blurred vision and erratic and shallow breaths. I slid my hands beneath my glasses and pressed them against my eyes, shaking my head. "I... I don't know. Goddammit. I don't know...!" my voice trembled, and so did my body.

I stepped backwards and away from Dipper, letting my back fall against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. I slid down to sit on the ground, my head low. I pulled off my glasses and threw them to the ground, bringing my hands up to cover the tears I refused to let Dipper see. I felt his presence directly in front of me, crouched down to be at my level. I felt his fingers comb through my hair gently. "Bill..." he murmured soothingly, taking my wrists into each of his hands. "Look at me." I wanted to say no. I wanted to push him away and beg him to forget about this. But I didn't. I let him pull my hands away from my face gingerly, as if I would shatter if he weren't careful. Little did he know, I was far beyond that. Or maybe he did know. It wasn't like it was that hard to catch onto, looking at me in that condition. God, is that pathetic.

Dipper let go of my hands, and they fell to my sides. He used his thumbs to wipe directly below my eyes softly, a sympathetic expression on his face. I allowed him to do so, watching sullenly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead comfortingly, lovingly. He placed both hands on my face, tilting my head up to look at him. "It's okay," he whispered, thumbs rubbing circles against my cheeks. "No one's going to look at you differently if you get all stupid sometimes. Especially not me." His voice was soft and understanding as he pulled me towards him so my nose was against the curve of his neck. "Hell, you're always stupid."

I clenched my jaw, attempting to hold back my tears. But the effort was enough to make my entire body quiver. I hiccuped, sobbing loudly into Dipper's shoulder. He rested a hand against the back of my head, stroking my hair as a means of calming me. I closed my eyes to hopefully slow the flow of tears streaming down my cheeks, winding my arms around him tightly. Dipper let his head fall against my own lightly, whispering soothing words and trying his best to keep me from having any worse a mental breakdown than I already was. "Your mom coming back is really getting to you, isn't it?" he asked quietly, clearly already knowing the answer.

I felt my stomach churn at those words. I shuddered, convulsively attempting to catch my breath and cease my own horrid sobbing, but it did nothing to fix anything. I just continuously wept into the collar of Dipper's shirt, fingers clenched in his jacket. "What gave it away?" I asked, trying to be sarcastic, but my voice just came out sounding pitiful. Dipper sighed, rubbing my back. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes. I sort of hoped I wouldn't need to speak. And he must've sensed that, because he didn't make me answer any questions. He just sat silently, allowing me to fall apart in front of him, grumbling profanity under my breath at my own stupidity.

After a long while, I was finally able to calm myself, the only sound escaping my lips being an occasional sharp intake of breath. Dipper pulled me away, eyes searching my expression thoughtfully, examining me. He used a hand to wipe away the evidence of my crying, smiling somberly. I watched him through reddened eyes as he leaned over to pick up my discarded glasses. He blew dust off of them, then used the hem of his shirt to clean the lenses. "You're lucky you didn't break these," he said, pushing them over my ears and onto my face. I remained silent, expressionless as he placed a hand on my cheek. He exhaled, frowning.

"Would you feel better if I stayed another night with you?"

There was a long pause, and then. "...Yes."

Dipper nodded, running his fingers through my hair. "Okay," he replied quietly, making my heart twist painfully. I could see it in his eyes, the stress and sadness he was never going to tell me about. Yet they still held that same light they always had. Somehow that never faded, even after all the things I constantly put him through. It was my fault someone was hurting him, after all. Still, I said nothing, watching curiously as he brought up a hand to brush my bangs out of my eyes. I sniffed, wiping my face with my sleeve. "Boy, do I look stupid..." I choked out weakly, my voice raspy and soft.

Dipper just shook his head, smiling sweetly. "Not even a little bit," he responded affectionately, leaning over so his forehead pressed against mine. I closed my eyes, relishing in his very presence. He seriously had no idea how much he kept me together. But that was okay, I think. Because up until then, I hadn't really known it either. "You didn't wear your hat today," I pointed out, trying to lighten the mood some.

Dipper hummed. "Maybe I wanted you to run your fingers through my hair," he said in reply, chuckling to himself. "You wore your glasses today."

There was a long silence. And then finally- "That was the deal, if I remember correctly," I whispered, opening my eyes to stare into bright viridian pools. I wasn't lying when I'd said I saw the stars within his eyes. It was like staring into the very universe every time our eyes locked. I would never get over just how entranced I was by them. I rested a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him into a quick kiss. But I was quickly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Boys, shouldn't you be in class?" an amused voice asked, and Dipper pulled himself away to look over at the source of it.

His face flushed, and he stammered hopelessly in search of a response. I just sat there silently, looking up at the woman with a cocked eyebrow. She appeared to be in her late twenties, but the thin wire glasses added a year or two to her otherwise young and lovely face. Her eyes were like dark chocolate, narrowed in interest and framed perfectly by the lenses in front of them. Her hair fell around her thin cheeks, bangs down to her chin on either side. The rest was pinned up in a bun that looked uncomfortably tight. I hadn't recognized her, but it seemed that Dipper had. "S-sorry! I was just... and he... but I..." he looked to me for assistance, but groaned loudly when he found none. "It's more complicated than it looks!"

The woman brought a hand up to her mouth, laughing cheerfully at him. "I don't bite, kid. It's no biggie," she cooed, tilting her head to the side. She examined me for a few moments, kneading her jaw. "Bill Cipher, right? I have been just dying to meet you! All I hear about these days is you," she went on with a joyful inflection on my name. She held out her hand towards me and I took it, shaking for a few moments before letting go. I glanced towards Dipper with a sly grin, and he averted his gaze from mine, fidgeting in embarrassment. I laughed, ruffling his hair and rising to my feet. Dipper took one of my hands and allowed me to help him up, but he still kept his eyes away from me. "I had no idea Pine Tree here talked about me so much," I said teasingly, draping an arm over his shoulders.

The woman grinned, waving a hand like it was nothing. "Oh, all the time, dear. Honestly, I think it's adorable. His eyes get all lit up and he can't stop smiling. Really makes my dull job a little more interesting," she gushed, both hands on her cheeks as she recalled those little details. Dipper pressed his palms against his eyes, shaking his head. "I am right here, guys! Stop!" he demanded weakly, his entire face a bright scarlet. Both the woman and I laughed, ignoring Dipper's words of protest. She nodded towards me, giving a small salute. "Name's Penelope, kid. I'm the nurse, if you couldn't tell by the obnoxious coat. Oh, and before you say anything; yes, I am an Asian in the medical field. Real original, I know," she went on, giggling at her own joke.

I snorted, already sure I liked her. What impeccable taste in people Dipper had. And I wasn't even being sarcastic. "Nice to meet'cha, Penelope. And really, I'd love to continue this riveting conversation, but Pine Tree here looks like he's about to pass out," I mused, glancing over at the mortified expression he wore. I pulled my phone from my pocket, taking a look at the time. "And anyway, the bell's about to ring. So I'll have to be seeing you." Penelope nodded, saying her goodbye to Dipper and taking off in the opposite direction. Dipper jabbed his elbow into my ribs, shooting his glare towards me. I just smirked, kissing the top of his head briefly before ushering him back into the classroom.

Everyone stared at us in either confusion or annoyance for a moment or two before looking back down at their desks in boredom. But I felt the gaze of one person in particular, burning into the right side of my head. I looked over, eyes narrowed at just the person I didn't want to see staring at me. Gideon simply scoffed, chuckling to himself before tearing his eyes away from mine. I resisted the very real and tempting urge to walk over to his desk and knock him into the ground. God, I hated that fucking kid. After everything he'd done to Dipper, I honestly probably should've beat some sense into him. Still.

I did find it a little strange he hadn't said much to annoy us or harass Mabel much lately, though... Wait.

Shit.

My eyes widened and I froze where I stood. Gideon looked back over at me, eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. "Mr. Cipher? Please take your seat," the teacher said, pointing towards my desk. I shook my head, attempting to bring myself back to reality. "I hope an incident like this doesn't occur again. Am I clear?" she went on sternly, frowning. I sat down, still cooped up in my own mind, but I somehow managed a nod. I didn't bother with a smartass comment.

"Y-yeah. Sorry..." I said absentmindedly, eyes searching the air for answers. Gideon. It was Gideon. I couldn't believe myself for not realizing sooner. There was no one else that hated Dipper enough. Unless Henry was really that stupid. Well, I had been ignoring him since Dipper and I both agreed to cut him out of my life completely. But he didn't seem likely to be the one causing this. It didn't seem like his style to go to such lengths. Only Gideon made sense. I clenched my jaw in realization, the urge to beat him to a pulp much more prevalent than ever. The only thing that kept me at bay was thinking about the horrified expression Dipper would wear if he saw me in such a state. I took a deep, shaking breath to calm my nerves.

The bell rang. I stood up, shoving everything I needed into my backpack unceremoniously. Dipper had a disapproving look on his face. "I was wondering when you'd go back to being as messy as you were when we met. You know-" he stopped, eyes searching my face curiously. "What's wrong?" I looked down, teeth grit together. When I looked back up, he had stepped closer to me, a hand reached out to flick me on the forehead. "Say something." He raised his brow, interested and worried all at once. I grabbed his wrist, tugging him out of the classroom and into the hallway.

"We need to talk."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

 **(Dipper)**

Sitting against the head board of Bill's bed, I absentmindedly threaded my fingers through his hair. I looked over at him, a small smile playing on my lips. His side rose and fell rhythmically, like clockwork amongst all of our chaos. The sound of his soft breathing was all that could be heard in the dim room. I scoffed, turning my gaze back towards the pad of paper in my hand. I had already filled up a few pages and I didn't want to waste anymore with mindless sketching. And it wasn't like I had much else to do. I could only think, and think I did.

Gideon. How hadn't I seen it?

I took a deep breath, eyes darting around the room. I found it just a tad ridiculous that I had developed such a severe fear of dark corners in only a few months. Although, this entire situation did have me pretty jumpy. I hated being alone. I always felt helpless when I was alone. Often when people just brushed by me or lifted a hand near me, I flinched or jumped. The only things that ever seemed to put me at ease anymore were Mabel, Pacifica, and Bill. Even the Stans had started to get under my skin. When they'd argue or yell, I was always reduced to a trembling mess. It wasn't like I had begun to resent them. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Bangs or loud crashing also freaked me out. I was hopeless. I was way too on edge. And the worst part of it was...

That's probably exactly what Gideon wanted.

It shook me to my bones when I thought about it. I felt utterly disgusted every time the words crossed my mind. I was in a corner. I was right where I was supposed to be for Gideon to easily toy with me and toss me away. I cringed, balling my free hand into a fist. It was paralyzing, knowing that I had no way to stop him. I was sure I'd be looked at like some kind of attention-seeking child if I said something to the authorities. I could already hear the ridicule ringing in my ears.

"What an imagination you have!"

"If you want people to look at you, try something a little more original."

I grimaced, eyes narrowed contemptuously at the door. I needed to calm my nerves. I needed to stop stressing myself out so much. Maybe a walk. Yeah. That sounded like something I might benefit from. But then there was the fact that anyone below eighteen wasn't supposed to be roaming around so late at night... I sighed, running my fingers through my bangs. You know what, fuck it, I said to myself angrily, sliding off the side of the bed as quietly as I could possibly manage. I sat my sketchbook down on Bill's nightstand and stepped towards the door on light feet. I exited quickly, looking back over my shoulder to make sure Bill hadn't stirred. He looked just as content as he had before, although Patch had lifted up his head from lying against Bill's stomach to stare at me curiously. I would never understand how he managed to be such a heavy sleeper. One slight noise or movement was enough to wake me up. At least, on nights I was lucky enough not be in a drugged and nearly comatose state.

I made my way down the stairs, still tiptoeing until I finally reached the bottom. Bill's house was so much less creaky than mine. Every step created a loud whine that reverberated throughout the entire Shack. But here, it was like the entire place was pristine, without cracks or loose boards. I could probably get pretty used to staying here, I mused, smiling softly at the thought. I grabbed my jacket off of the couch, where I'd discarded it. It had been getting pretty cold lately. But it was finally early winter, so that was to be expected. We hadn't had our first snow yet, though. Just frost that clung to the ground and the barren tree branches like a lifeline. I didn't mind it all that much. Mabel really liked the snow. And it was just a little bit amusing listening to Bill complain about the weather, becoming unusually touchy as a means of keeping his hands warm at all times.

I laughed, shoving my arms in through the sleeves. "What's so funny?" a feather-light voice asked from behind me. And I'm not proud of this, but I quite literally jumped at the sound, spinning around to face the speaker with a horrified expression and my hands over my head. Mrs. Cipher simply blinked in surprise, her eyes just as wide as mine. A few moments passed and we stared at one another incredulously. Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief, lowering my hands. Mrs. Cipher rolled her eyes good-naturedly, grinning affectionately.

"You never struck me as the easy to frighten type, Dipper Pines," she said, leaning her head on her hand. I flushed in embarrassment, averting my eyes. Her gaze softened. "Can't sleep?" I exhaled, nodding weakly. She hummed, gesturing for me to come towards her. "That makes two of us. Stay and talk for a while, dear. I was going to make tea anyway," she went on, standing up and making her way into the kitchen. I figured there really was no harm. I shrugged, following after her and sitting down at the dusty table. I wrinkled my nose, wiping away the dust with a hand. It was obvious after his mother had left, Bill had simply stopped caring what anything on the bottom floor of the house looked like.

I leaned my chin on my hand, watching Mrs. Cipher make the tea in slight interest. She began to hum some melody I was unfamilar with, and I then realized where Bill had gotten his abilities. Even without hearing her sing the actual notes, her voice was lovely, wistful and merry all at once. "Any particular way you like yours?" she asked, pulling both sugar and honey out of the cupboard. I shook my head. As long as it wasn't ungodly sweet I wouldn't complain. She didn't reply, just going back to her humming as she opened up the fridge to pull out a carton a milk. I raised an eyebrow. With all that stuff piled on top, could she even still taste the tea?

Still, I said nothing as she poured some into two mugs and went to work adding the necessary ingredients. "You must think rather lowly of me," she said casually, but I saw her eye dart towards me for a mere second before immediately looking back at the task at hand.

I just cocked an eyebrow. "What would make you assume that?" I felt something sharp against my knee and looked down. Patch was on his hind legs, looking up at me pleadingly with his claws digging not quite painfully into my leg.

"Something just tells me William doesn't talk about me very fondly. If he talks about me at all, I mean." Her words were somber, but she was expressionless as she stirred the cups of tea.

I shrugged. It felt really odd to hear anyone refer to Bill as William. He had always been Bill to me. The other name didn't even feel like it belonged to him. I leaned down a bit to pick up the bundle of fur nuzzling against my leg. Patch mewed, letting me sit him down on my lap. "Actually, he really kept as much to himself as possible. Anything he's said to me, he said to you yesterday," I pointed out blankly, yawning. I ran a hand along Patch's spine, feeling his fur rise in response.

Mrs. Cipher nodded, sitting a mug down in front of me. I lifted it up to my lips, taking a small sip. It was bittersweet, which I thanked heaven above for. Honestly, it was probably the best cup of tea I'd ever had. Mabel always made it with way too much sugar. So I had simply stopped drinking it at all. Mrs. Cipher sat down across from me, taking a drink of her own. We sat like that in complete silence, the both of us kind of just staring off into space for a while until she decided to say something. "Did he ever tell you exactly how his father died?" she asked, eyes piercing into mine. I fidgeted, shaking my head uncomfortably. That seemed a bit forward, but I supposed I'd roll with it.

"William had just started kindergarten. I was working as a professor at the college right outside of town. And Matthew was supposed to pick him up that day. That was the plan, at least. But he never made it to the school. A man passing through town had gone and gotten himself wasted at the local bar, and was about to be on his way. Matthew was going in the opposite direction. The man blacked out for a moment and swerved, careening both of the cars off of the road. Matthew died on impact, which is just as well because after the other man crawled out, his car burst into flames. I got a call and found out that he was gone. Or at least, they'd assumed. Because until the burnt body was finally identified through dental records, all I could do was hope his car had been stolen and that he wouldn't end up being the one found dead inside.

"I was heartbroken. And Wi- Bill... Bill waited for almost two hours at school for him. He, as I said, never came. And do you know what happened to the drunken bastard that caused all of it?" she was growling disdainfully by the end of her story, hand clutching the mug so tightly I feared it may shatter.

I shook my head, not tearing my eyes away from her. She looked up at me, cold and focused, and she said; "He broke his leg. Possibly even a rib or two. That was his punishment. A few lousy broken bones and a DUI. And because of him I lost two people I loved that day. My husband was dead. And Bill? He never looked at me the same way ever again. He was never the same sweet boy he had been. Guess he blamed me. Or himself, I don't know... I watched him grow to hate the world. I watched him turn into a cynical little smartass that couldn't stomach the very idea of being anywhere near me. It didn't help that as he grew older, he started looking more and more like Matthew. I'd reached my breaking point.

"But I tried to make it better. Honestly, I did everything I could think to do. Soon I was so desperate I left fixing him all up to the church, hoping that would teach him a little bit about faith and forgiveness and whatever else it was I'd believed he'd lacked. Really all it did was make him hate me more. I couldn't take it. So I decided that maybe getting out of this town would help. I suggested we travel the world and see new things, but he was so adamant about staying here. By then he had just turned fifteen. He had even recently come out, although I'm sure he'd always known that he was gay. Bill isn't the kind of boy to lie to himself for very long. But the people around him didn't really take it as well as he did. Friends. Hell, even the pastor looked disgusted by him. It was a really rough time, but I had never even listened long enough to know what he'd been going through. I just up and made the decision to leave him here and go on my own. He didn't even argue with me. He didn't really say anything, actually. He just went up into his room, slammed the door, and I couldn't get another word out of him until he screamed at me yesterday. But you being here makes me believe he's okay."

I remained quiet, my jaw slack as I scrambled for words to say. Patch seemed to grow bored of the fact that I wasn't paying much attention to him anymore. He hopped off of my lap, padding off into the living room. Nothing came out of my mouth. I just turned my gaze away from her and awkwardly took another sip of my tea. Bill really had taken a turn since then, huh...? How much of an impact had I had? It was almost unbelievable to think about. I was nothing all that special, in all honesty. Unless of course, he had some kind of trust issues fetish. And I highly doubted that was even a real thing. "You really don't know how special you are, do you?" Mrs. Cipher asked after a few seconds of my embarrassed silence.

I shrank under her intense gaze, attempting in vain to not meet her eyes. "I...I'm not really..." I mumbled, voice soft and unsure. Mrs. Cipher shook her head, reaching out her hands and taking both of mine. "Dear, nothing short of a miracle would've made my boy himself again. But yesterday, I saw something I haven't in a long time. Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but I have. I had never seen him look so serene, so at peace with himself and his life," she assured me, eyes glossy with tears that refused to fall. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes. I know I'm just as at fault for his unhappiness as anyone else. Actually, I believe I'm the most at fault. I know that, but I can't take it back now. I'm just glad that after all this time, all this suffering - both mine and his - we can start to find a new normal. And it's because you were able to fix him. I owe so much more to you than I'll ever be able to repay."

Awestruck, all I could do was nod. I had no idea what else to do. She just stared directly into my eyes for what felt like eternity, lips pursed into a thin line on her face and her deep caramel hues burning into mine with a gratitude so real and overwhelming I felt I could've choked on it. She let go of my hands, which I slowly retracted to look at her, dumbfounded. A few tears slid down her cheeks, and she used a sleeve to wipe them away. "I know this may be asking too much, but... I wish I wasn't such a nobody in his life. Especially now that he's begun to be himself again." Her voice had lost its edge, and she looked down at her half drank cup of tea somberly.

I blinked at her. "I hope you don't think I'm disrespectful for saying so, but..." I paused, looking down, then back up at her. "Bill. William. It's kinda all the same, even if it doesn't feel that way. I guess you've probably just forgotten it. And once you finally spot the similarities, you'll realize that Bill never actually changed. Both of you simply adjusted to loss differently, each blaming themselves while also pushing blame onto one another. And once you two are ready to set that aside, I think you'll realize that things can go back to what they were just as quickly as they changed." I stood up, picking up the mug on the table and chugging down the last few gulps. I spun on my heel, making my way towards the stairs to go back to bed.

"Dipper," Mrs. Cipher called after me and I stopped, spinning on my heels to face her. "Call me Lily." I smiled, stepping towards the staircase with a newfound confidence.

"I'll keep that in mind."

I walked up the stairs and down the hall until I reached Bill's room. With a grin, I opened the door and snuck inside. Though apparently I wasn't quiet enough this time. Bill groaned, turning on his other side. "It's like, two in the morning. Go to bed already, Pine Tree," he muttered, not even opening his eyes. I chuckled, tiptoeing towards the bed. "It's twelve thirty, if you want to be that way about it," I teased, taking off my jacket and sitting it on his nightstand. I switched his lamp off and lifted the blanket, sliding under the covers. He scooted to be closer to me, burying his head into my neck and coiling his arms around me.

"Whatever. What were you even doing?" he questioned, voice muffled against my shirt. I lifted a hand to stroke his hair, closing my eyes. "Just had a cup of tea to ease up a bit. I felt a little on edge earlier," I responded. I could feel Patch crawling over the blankets to curl up on my side, purring as he nuzzled into me and kneaded at the blankets. Bill hummed, his breathing already slowing back down to a sleeping rate. But even though he was barely awake, he still managed to say; "It must be pretty scary.." I don't think he even realized what he'd said. He was hardly even aware of himself anymore, but it struck me all the same. I rested my head against his, silent until I knew he was fully asleep.

"More than you know."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

 **(Bill)**

Dipper rubbed his eyes drowzily, yawning. There were rings below his eyes, but they were much lighter than they had been when he first came to stay with me. That was enough of a victory for me, I supposed. "You sure you don't want to stay longer? You're looking a lot better after finally getting some sleep," I pointed out cautiously. Dipper shook his head, picking his pencil back up and pressing the lead against the paper. I frowned. Of course he was too stubborn for that. I sighed and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was up to.

He was drawing. And as far as I could tell, he was pretty damn good at it. The picture was unfinished, but it appeared to be a blacked out silhouette of a creature with long, winding antlers. Its eyes were the only part of it that weren't shaded in and it seemed to be following behind two children, casting a shadow over their heads and reaching out thin, clawed hands towards them. I whistled. "Quite an imagination you got there, Pine Tree," I said teasingly, resting my chin on my shoulder to watch him sketch what I assumed were the roots of some kind of tree around the kids' legs, crawling up their bodies. I raised an eyebrow. That seemed a bit dark for Dipper, but alright.

He laughed awkwardly, clearly forcing it. "Yeah... It's uh... It's not that good," he muttered, closing the sketchbook and sitting it down beside him. I blinked, reaching out and taking it before he could stop me. I stood up, holding it above my head. Dipper jumped up as well, trying to tear my arm down to take the sketchbook back. "Bill! Seriously!" he yelled, earning a few questioning looks from other half-awake students who had arrived at the school early. He didn't really seem to care though, and continued jumping up to reach the pad of paper.

I scoffed, opening it up and looking through the pages. And I was right. He was really good. I passed by a picture of Mabel in the dress she'd worn to the Halloween party, various creatures, assumed demonic entities, Waddles, more of Dipper's family, and his friends. He had a real gift, I could tell. Why keep his talent secret? I flipped through more of the pages, coming across one in particular and stopping. It was a picture of a teenage boy, one arm beneath a pillow to support his neck and a blanket raised up to his chin. His eyes were closed and there was a small smile adorning his lips, accenting his sharp, freckled features. His hair was disheveled, bangs tossed askew over his forehead, and it appeared that someone had been playing with it. I recognized him immediately. I felt my face burn a little bit, mouth slightly agape as I grappled for something to say.

"Pine Tree, when did you draw this?" I asked, lowering my arm. Dipper snatched the book out of my hand, blushing furiously and averting his gaze from mine.

"Last night..." he muttered, closing his sketchbook. "I couldn't sleep and I... I don't know."

I just stared for a few moments until my grin widened into a smirk. "And you decided to draw me?" I questioned, although it was phrased more so like a statement. Which it kind of was.

Dipper looked down at his shoes, his cheeks ablaze. "I... Yeah..."

I chuckled, ruffling his hair playfully, which was surprisingly not covered by his hat. "Oh, I'm just teasing ya, Pine Tree! It's really, really good," I insisted, a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him forward. I ignored Dipper's embarrassed expression and the looks I received from other students, brushing my lips against cheek. There was a snigger or two from snobby boys and not-so well hidden giggling from a few girls in the classroom with us, but besides that, the place was silent.

"You never cease to amaze me," I murmured softly, lips against his ear.

 **(Dipper)**

I leaned down to grab the soda from the bottom of the vending machine. I pulled it out, sliding my backpack off over one of my shoulders to slide the bottle into it. I then took off towards the cafeteria. I didn't usually eat at the school, but it was always a good opportunity to hang out with my friends. I was zipping it back up when I felt someone collide into me. I stumbled backwards in shock, almost falling flat on my ass in the process. I felt someone grab my wrist, steadying me. "Woah. Sorry about that. I wasn't really paying attention," the boy in front of me said. I just narrowed my eyes. I knew him.

Henry. I scowled, tearing my arm away from him. "It's fine," I hissed, turning to leave him.

Henry laughed, and I cringed at the sound. "Forgetting something?" he asked, and I spun back around, arms crossed. He had leaned down to pick up a bottle of Pitt Cola. He held it out towards me with this obnoxious grin on his face. I said nothing, snatching it from his hand and turning around once again to get away from him. "Hey, no hard feelings, right?" he questioned snarkily, and I clenched my fists at my sides as I made a break for it.

Striding through the cafeteria, I came across the group I was looking for. I sighed in relief, forcing myself to choke down my anger towards the boy I had just passed. "Hey," I greeted, sitting down beside Bill. He grinned, giving a slight nod. "What kept you, Pine Tree? You're usually here before I am," he pointed out cheerfully, watching me open the bottle in my hand. I just shrugged, taking a drink of my Pitt Cola. It tasted a little less sweet than it usually was. I didn't think anything of it, though. Probably just going flat from being shaken up earlier.

Mabel went back to telling some story about dressing Waddles up in a sequined suit and making him dance with her. Pacifica and Bill listened intently, laughing as she explained how difficult it was to get him into the costume. Grenda was off on the other side of the cafeteria, "flirting" with a boy that was clearly terrified of her. And Candy? Well, Candy kept staring at me, but always averted her gaze whenever I glanced back at her. She forced herself to look at me, cheeks flushed. I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You alright?" I inquired, interrupting Mabel's tale of woe and triumph... and also glitter. Everyone went quiet, interested in the new conversation occurring. Candy's shoulders tensed, and she looked down at her lap with panicked brown eyes.

I took another long drink of my soda, awaiting her response. "I... I-I'm fine. I just wanted to a-ap-apologize for what I did on Halloween. I was a little bit d..dr-" I cut her off with a wave of my hand, rolling my eyes good-naturedly.

"Nah, it's fine," I replied with a reassuring smile. "No sweat. I think we were all a little out of it."

Candy gave a sigh of relief, her hand on her chest like a weight had been lifted from it. She nodded, beaming merrily. I chuckled, taking yet another sip of my Pitt Cola. I furrowed my eyebrows. Why was it leaving such an unusual taste in my mouth? It had become bitter, almost metallic. I looked the bottle over, eyes narrowed. I shook it lightly, noticing a slight discoloration at the bottom that mixed into the drink and faded away when I did so. I crinkled my nose, deciding that I didn't want anymore. I felt too sick to drink anything else anyway. Sick? Wait, why did I feel sick?

The back of my head began to throb dully, and I held it in my hands. White noise buzzed against my eardrums like angered wasps and my stomach churned more and more as each second passed. Bile rose in my throat. I felt like I was about to vomit. This feeling was horribly familiar... Bill placed a hand on my shoulder, and I forced my gaze to meet his. "Woah, Pine Tree. You look really pale. Are you okay?" he asked, worry brimming his eyes as he reached out to press the palm of his other hand against my forehead. "Kid, you're on fire. What's going on?" I shoved his hands away from me and shook my head, although just that slight movement was enough to make me dizzy. I grit my teeth and stood up. Everyone at the table watched me in confusion, concern evident on each of their faces.

I spun on my heel and ran off in the opposite direction. Mabel called after me, but I ignored her and continued on my way to the boy's bathroom, dizzy. I swung the door open, ignoring the weird look I received from a senior at the sink, and fell to my knees in front of one of the toilets. I retched, not bothering to close the door behind me as I did so. My throat burned and my heartbeat pounded against my ears, blocking out the sound of the teen behind me asking if I needed help getting to the nurse. Tears filled my vision, and I arched over one more time, stomach convulsing.

I leaned back after a few moments, not having it in me to look at what was swirling around in the water. I closed my eyes, waiting for everything to stop spinning. A few minutes ticked by in silence. I stood up, flushing the toilet. I turned around, bleary-eyed, to see that the boy had scurried off. Thank god... I thought to myself, making what was probably a wise decision to go see Penelope.

She took one look at me and sprang into action. She placed her hands on my shoulders, ushering me to sit down on the little bed in the corner. I watched her pull out a thermometer and a small cup. She filled the cup up with water and shoved it into my hands. "Drink this," she ordered, taking on the authoritative tone she only ever had when someone was injured or in pain. I wanted to refuse, because the thought of drinking anything else made my stomach twist, but I did as I was told anyway. It was cold and crisp against my tongue, and seemed to rid me of the burning sensation in my throat, which I thanked god for. Never before had water tasted so fucking fantastic. I shifted in my seat, silently hoping she'd offer me more, but I didn't complain when she brought the thermometer closer to me. "Stay still."

I complied, trying not to let my discomfort show as she inserted the metal object into my ear. I seriously hated these things. But I didn't say anything as she held it in place, watching the digits rise ever upwards on a tiny screen. It beeped, signalling that she could remove it from my ear, which she did immediately. Her eyes widened. "Why the hell did you come to school in December with a one-hundred and two degree temperature?!" she questioned irritably, eyes catching my own. I felt myself shrink under her gaze, and shrugged. She sighed, pressing a button on the thermometer. "I'm calling your uncles," she said, spinning around, her long obsidian hair whipping behind her as she did.

"They're working..." I muttered, taking my head into one of my hands. Stan had the shop to tend to and Ford was off giving a guest presentation at the college out of town. Besides, I didn't want to end up inadvertently dragging her into the whole 'stalker' mess. "I'll just walk home," I went on weakly, my voice rasping. Gideon was here at the school anyway. I didn't need to worry about him.

Penelope turned to face me, one hand on her hip and the other grasping a black phone that looked like it belonged in an eighties movie. "Like hell you will. I'll drive you," she said, tapping her foot.

I waved a hand, smiling to give the illusion of being perfectly fine. "It's alright. Really. I've walked home under worse conditions," I responded, actually not lying when I said that. "Home isn't very far from here anyway." Penelope was silent, a conflicted expression on her face. I knew she wanted to insist that I let her drive me home. I also knew she wasn't allowed to leave work, especially not with a student. Especially not with a male, underage student. Yeah, that did seem kinda sketchy. Even if I was just sick. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She had obviously taken that into consideration.

Penelope pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly not happy about any of this. "Kid, I don't care if your uncle works until midnight. At five-thirty, I'm calling him. Or your boyfriend, or whoever. His number is in the school's system, you know," she said seriously, putting down the phone and crossing her arms. "If you aren't with one of them, I will track you down, drag you back home, and put a padlock on your door so you get some fucking rest. And that also means no physical exertion beyond just walking back to your place. No work, no touchy touchy business with Bill, no nothing. Am I making myself perfectly clear, Dipper?" I nodded, a blush taking up my entire face at her mentioning Bill. She grinned, although her eyes still reflected her worry, and she took the cup from my hand.

She spun around, filling it back up again, then holding it out for me to take. "Here. You were eyeing the sink like a lost puppy, so take it," she teased, ruffling my hair like I was a child. I chugged down the entire thing gratefully, earning a chuckle from the school nurse. "Make sure you drink as much water as possible. It'll help flush all that nasty stuff out of your system." I nodded, and she took the little cup from my hand, tossing it into the waste basket. I stood up, smiling at her before turning to go. "Thanks," I called as I left, making my way through the hallways and towards the exit.

I opened the door, feeling the icy winter wind whip against my face mercilessly. I shivered, stepping outside. My head spun, and walking too fast made me dizzy. My stomach felt hollow, but also like the tiniest little thing would make me throw up again. All and all, my body seemed completely against me as I took slow, careful steps, my shoes tapping lightly against the concrete. I stopped, glancing left and right. I could go to the Shack, but that also meant walking through the woods, which had become a somewhat terrifying feat as of late. I could also go to Bill's place. I knew Lily would be there. She'd see me, insist I lay down, take my temperature, and probably treat me like a child for a few hours until Bill came home and told her to lay off.

Neither option seemed terribly pleasant, but at least I wouldn't have to walk through empty, dark woods on my own if I opted to go to Bill's place. Yeah, that was probably my best option. I sighed, watching my breath puff out in front of me as I headed in that direction. I didn't make it very far. The sound of laughter erupted behind me. I narrowed my eyes, cringing at the sound. It was the same laugh I had heard before that first stone had been thrown.

I spun around, seeing something much larger than a rock being flung at me through my peripheral vision.

 **(Bill)**

The bell rang. Dipper wasn't here. I felt concern bubbling up to the surface, and began tapping my foot. The teacher began calling out names of students. My leg began to shake from nervous tension. "Bill Cipher?" she questioned, and I muttered a halfhearted "here." She hummed, going down the list. I let my head fall against my desk. Maybe he had simply gone home. Or he was in the nurse's office with Mrs. Donovan, letting her take care of whatever issue had sprang up. Still, that didn't explain why he had gone from being fine to looking like a ghost in only a matter of seconds. He had seemed a bit wary of the drink in his hand, and I recalled the expression on his face when he took that last sip of it. Plus, he wouldn't have spent two whole periods in the office, no matter how sick he was.

"Gideon Gleeful?"

My head snapped upwards, eyes wide. There was no response. "Oh my god," I breathed, eyes darting around the room. There was no sign of the little bastard anywhere. Panic shot through my entire body like electricity. The teacher paused, eyes directed at me. "Is something wrong, Mr. Cipher?" she asked, exasperation dripping from her tone. I stood up, hands against my desk. I spun to face the blonde in the opposite corner of the room. "Pacifica," I hissed darkly, voice low and serious.

She looked up at me, eyes blown and filled to the brim with fear. "We've gotta go. Now," I said. That's all I'd needed to say. She knew what was happening. She knew what had occurred. So did I. She stood up, giving a faint nod. Her expression hardened into pure hatred, and she stepped towards the door. I bolted out into the hallway, and she did as well. The teacher called angrily after us, but a simple yell back of, "It's an emergency!" shut her up. We ran for the exit, swinging the doors open and darting outside without so much as a second thought. This was probably going to get us suspended. Or worse. But none of that mattered at the moment.

"Dipper!" Pacifica screamed at the top of her lungs, in hopes that if she was loud enough, he'd hear her. I began to do the same, frantically making my way through town, yelling his name like we were looking for a runaway dog. "Pine Tree!" There was, of course, no response. Pacifica and I exchanged a glance, and I noticed that she was trembling. I rested a hand against her shoulder, giving her the most comforting look I could muster. "We'll find him," I said, although even I didn't believe my words. How could anyone from the way my voice had faltered?

 **(Dipper)**

I ducked, ignoring the pounding in my skull as I just barely dodged the bat being swung at my head. I stumbled backwards, eyes coming down to rest on the teenage boy clad in a blue suit before me. He scowled at me, furious that he had somehow missed. "How are you still on your feet?!" he snarled, swinging mindlessly. I recoiled, moving back as quickly as I could, seeing double. Surely if I could just stall him long enough, someone would see me. It was the middle of the day, after all. "Stay still!" Gideon screeched, waving the bat in my direction. I narrowed my eyes, shooting out my hands to grab it. There was a dull crashing noise and the palms of my hands stung like hell, but I ignored those two facts as I yanked it back.

Gideon wasn't ready to let go, though. He held tight against the other end, grappling for it with just as much force as I was. I felt my brain fogging over, and knew I had to decide the outcome of this little bout quickly. I lunged at him, knocking him onto the ground and shoving the wooden bat into his face. There was a loud crack and a shrill cry of pain. Blood spurted from his now upturned and likely broken nose. I forced the bat out of his hands, holding it high above my head to swing it at him. Gideon narrowed his eyes disdainfully, kicking one of his legs upwards and into my stomach. I gave a sharp gasp, dropping the object in my hands with a sputter.

He shoved me off of him, grabbing the bloodied bat and standing up. I was still trying to catch my breath, wheezing as I groaned in pain from the blow to my stomach. I was choking back more vomit, but the effort really drained me of whatever energy I had left. The condition my body was in did nothing to assist me, either. I rolled onto my back, picking myself back up slowly. My blood felt like it was boiling below the surface of my skin and my skull felt like it had been split open. Gideon chuckled, stepping towards me. I looked up, horrified. He lifted the wooden item in his hands, ignoring the thick red liquid oozing from his nostrils. "Stay down, Pines," he ordered. Through my blurred vision, I could see him fling the bat at me. I did the only thing I could think to do. I brought my hands up to protect my head.

There was a sickening crack and a wail, presumably from my own mouth, a throbbing pain in my skull and my wrist, and that was it. I blacked out moments later.

 **(Bill)**

Pacifica brought her knees close to her body, sobbing loudly. It was past dark. The moon hung in the sky like a puppet on a string, and the only sound that could be heard was coming from the girls beside me. Mabel had joined in searching for her brother once school had let out, and we'd had no luck in finding him. Upon meeting back up at the school, the only information any of us had to share was that we knew it had to have been Gideon that took him. I just stared down at my feet with my hands in my lap. I was silent, focusing most of my attention on not breaking down into an emotional wreck in front of people I'd like to at least look strong in front of.

Mabel wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, burying her nose into the other's neck and crying like a child that had just had a nightmare. I could understand. This was a nightmare. I sighed, running my fingers through my bangs. "I'll... I'll drive you guys home. It's late," I murmured softly, fiddling with the collar of my shirt absentmindedly. Pacifica sniffled, nodding slowly. She was able to soothe Mabel after a few minutes, and the two distraught girls stood up. I followed suit, leading them to my car and unlocking it. They both sat down in the back seat, holding hands and whispering comforting words to one another to stop themselves from crying again. It wasn't like I would've minded it, though. If they needed to, I wasn't going to stop them. I'm not that big of a jerk.

I drove them back to their houses. Few words were exchanged. A simple "bye" was all I had given either of them as they left. I didn't feel like talking. I didn't feel like crying. I didn't feel like doing anything. I felt empty, hollow, like the shell of a person. And it was the most unpleasant, frustrating feeling I could possibly imagine. I parked my car in the driveway, talking myself into actually getting out. I glanced at my phone and turned it on. It was now ten-twenty six, and I had four missed calls, all from the same unfamiliar number. Starting at five-thirty on the dot. I furrowed my eyebrows. Odd. Still, I wasn't really in the mood to return any calls. I opened the door to see my mother pacing around the living room, biting her fingernails. She turned her gaze to look at me, relief evident on her face.

"Oh, thank god!" she exclaimed, running over and throwing her arms around me. And for once, I let her, my head falling against her shoulder lightly. "Mom... He's missing," I whispered, closing my eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **(Dipper)**

I slipped in and out of consciousness, each time with varying degrees of awareness in my surroundings.

"Holy shit! Is he actually alive?!"

"He's fine. Just get him in the car!"

I blacked out once more. I had no idea how much time passed before I came to my senses again. I felt someone tugging my limp body along by my arms. Sharp pain shot through my wrist and all the way down my spine. It was agonizing, and all I could manage in response was a choked groan. I wanted to yell or move or something. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. I think I tasted something metallic in my mouth, and upon coughing it up, I realized it was my own blood. And again, I was greeted with blackened nothingness. In coming to the third time, I was able to briefly open my eyes.

I was greeted with a blurry male figure standing over me. I couldn't make much out about him besides the fact that he had brown hair and looked utterly horrified. There was something familiar about him, and it stirred up a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. "Good. You're dismissed," I heard Gideon's all too excited voice say. The male nodded vigorously, scurrying away like a frightened puppy. I closed my eyes one final time, letting my head loll to the the side as I passed out for the final time.

I have no idea how much time passed before I finally awoke, this time in full control of my body. Or at least, as much of my body as I could move. I looked down, noting the fact that my legs and hands were tied to an old wooden chair. I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. My jacket was nowhere to be found, and I shivered against the cold. I quickly took note of the fact that it was substantially warmer here than it was outside, however, and hoped to god that at least meant Gideon didn't plan to watch me freeze to death. I then brought my eyes up towards my hand and visibly winced. It seemed that when Gideon hit me the last time, it had either fractured or broken. Based on the amount of swelling, it was probably just a simple fracture. Still, that did little to comfort me when I tried moving my fingers and I was rewarded with the sensation of a thousand needles pricking into my skin not quite so gently. My hair felt like it stuck to my forehead, dried blood like glue against my scalp. I forced my gaze upwards, ignoring the white haired bastard in the other corner of the room for a moment to analyze my surroundings properly.

The room was dark, completely bare of any furniture besides a table with various objects I chose not to acknowledge for the time being on the opposite end. The walls were a dusty shade of brown and their were no windows in sight. I guessed I had to be underground based on just how stale and rank the air was. A basement, most likely. But surely not his. He'd learned from that, I was sure. Gideon laughed, stepping towards me. "Well, good morning, friend! I was actually a little bit worried about you," he said merrily, leaning down to be at eye level with me. I glared contemptuously at him, jaw clenched shut. "Can't have you dying on me, oh no no. That just wouldn't do."

I scowled. With him this close I could just... I could... I spat the blood that had been pooling in my mouth on his face, snickering at his outraged expression. "How's your nose, Gideon?" I snarled, watching him recoil with a triumphant smirk. He wiped the bloodied saliva off his cheek, reaching up a hand to touch his crooked nose gingerly. A few moments passed, and I felt myself growing cockier by each moment he trembled with rage. And then it all faded away when he began to laugh, rolling back his head and grinning manically. He slammed his fist down on my hand, and I jolted, crying out pathetically. "Peachy, actually. How's your hand?" he cooed sarcastically, digging the heel of his hand into my wrist. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to break the skin. If my hand hadn't been broken before, it certainly was now.

"F-fuck you," I growled, choking on my words. "What's even the point of this? Mabel's not exactly attracted to kidnappers, in case you've forgotten."

Gideon hummed, removing his hand from my own, relieving some of the pressure. I felt my muscles unwind as the pain dwindled to a simple throbbing. "Is that not blatantly obvious, Pines? This is my revenge. I unfortunately can't kill you. As you've reminded me, my sweet Mabel would never forgive me! But I can of course make sure you never stick your nose where it doesn't belong ever again," he explained, gesturing around the room. He grabbed my jaw, jerking my head forward so we were face to face. "I intend on keeping you here for quite a while. Make yourself comfortable." He released my jaw, shoving me back against the chair.

I just stared at him, hatred burning in my eyes like rising flames. Gideon giggled, turning away from me. I watched him walk away and grab something off of the table in the corner. He spun back around, waving a bottle of water in his hand victoriously. It struck me just then how goddamn thirsty I was. How long had I gone without a drink? How long had I been unconscious? He stepped back towards me, grinning maniacally. "I take it you're a tad parched. Want some?" he asked, twisting the cap off.

I wanted so badly to deny him the satisfaction of seeing just how much that I did want it. And I wanted so badly to say no. He'd have to give me some eventually. As he said, he couldn't kill me. But I was just so damn thirsty. I swallowed thickly, noting just how dry my tongue felt after spitting earlier. I gave a slow nod, teeth grit in humiliation. The last thing I 'd ever thought I'd do was ask Gideon for anything, let alone ask Gideon for something I needed to survive. He held it out towards me, sloshing the liquid around in front of my face. I just watched helplessly, waiting for him to refuse me the luxury of quenching my thirst.

I narrowed my eyes, silent. He laughed. "You know, I'm feeling particularly generous so-" he stopped, pressing a palm against the back of my head. I jerked away, but he sighed, grabbing my hair and yanking my head backwards. I gasped sharply, eyes widening into saucers. He shoved the bottle into my mouth, and my fight or flight instincts involuntarily kicked in. In this case, all I could do was fight, and that was a very bad idea. I just about choked immediately, barely any of the water somehow making it's way into the correct pipe.

Gideon pulled the bottle away from me, and I panted heavily as soon as I could breathe again. I wheezed, coughing up some of the water painfully. Gideon just watched me, interested in my reaction. "Hmph. That could've been so much easier. It baffles me, the way you constantly make things more difficult for me," he said, twisting the cap back onto the now half empty bottle of water. For you?! Difficult for you?! I thought furiously, but bit my tongue to keep the words from coming out. He chuckled, turning away. "Anyway, today's just a warm-up. Tomorrow is when the real fun begins. And for once, I don't think I'll mind getting my suit a little dirty," he went on, glancing back at me. He made his way up a flight of creaking wooden stairs, humming an unfamiliar tune.

"Sweet dreams... Friend."

(Bill)

My mother sat on the couch, hunched over with her palms against her eyes. I stood, watching her wordlessly as she choked on her own sobbing. I didn't cry. I couldn't. Everyone around me was shedding tears for their losses, and I was left looking like the one dry-eyed jerk. That wasn't it, though. I was empty without Dipper, and that included any emotion beyond hatred and anger towards Gideon. But I set that aside for the moment, sitting down by Mom silently. I made no move to comfort her. I said no words to make it all go away. After so long without speaking to her, I didn't even know how to anymore. So I simply waited for her cries to turn into soft whimpers, which soon faded away. Mom sniffled, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. And then she was silent as well. The both of us just sort of stared straight ahead for a few minutes, still processing everything.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, closing her puffy eyes.

I chuckled dryly. "Why? You didn't do anything to him," I said somberly, finding that even in the worst situations, my snarkiness really did know no bounds.

Mom shook her head, unbearably quiet for a long while. Eventually, she finally forced herself to murmur, "I really like that boy..."

I scoffed. "Yeah? So do I."

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged just barely at her lips. "He's been such an influence on you. You've grown so much since I last saw you. You know that, right?"

"I'm just the same as I was, Mom. I don't see what's so different now than before."

"I never said you were different. I said you've grown. Dipper told me something last night and... And I think he was absolutely right. I hated myself for what happened to Matthew. I thought 'well, had I gone to pick up Bill then he'd still be here.' And Bill, I... I resented you, too." She looked me directly in my eyes as she said this. I felt my chest tighten up. Why was she telling me this? "I resented you because you reminded me so much of him. The way you look so much like him started to make me angry. I grew to despise my own child for something he couldn't control. I lost Matthew. That was out of my hands. But then I lost you, too, and it was all my own doing. And yet, nothing's changed. There's just an... additional variable that's been mixed in."

I just sat there, looking at her with a blank expression, unable to force myself to speak. For a really long time, I'd know that. It wasn't hard to figure out. Being looked at so disdainfully for ten years of my life after Dad had died. Being shooed off to church every week while Mom made the attempt to drown my existence in alcohol until she just couldn't stomach it anymore. Being treated like a neglected kitten but dressed like I belonged in movies. There'd always been a reason for it, some underlying factors I tried to ignore, but it really all was true. I had begun to hate my mother immediately, but her hate had grown into burning contempt over a much longer course of time. I felt my eyes begin to sting and laughed humorlessly. Looks like I found my tears... I thought pitifully, watching Mom take my hand and look up at me sympathetically. "How did it feel when you found out about Dad?" I closed my eyes. "Like, waiting all that time hoping he was alive, just to find out he'd been dead every moment you'd wasted obsessing over it," I explained quietly, my voice barely audible.

Mom was silent for a few moments. She placed her hands on my shoulders. "Son, I didn't feel anything. I was numb. A shell of a person, and I thought that's what I deserved." That was all it took.

Everything came down.

(Dipper)

I'm pretty sure it was the next day by the time I had finally awoken. My initial reaction was a low groan, and I let my head fall back. My skull felt like someone had driven a knife into my scalp, twisted it, and simply left it there. I knew I had to have a concussion. Whether it was mild or severe was beyond me, but I knew that if I pushed myself too much at all, I was going to seriously regret it. I ignored my hand completely, refusing to even look at it. I could feel my palm and wrist, which were swollen and red, but the only sensation I could feel in my fingers at all was the splintery wood of the chair arm against my skin.

I just sat there for what was likely hours in agony until I heard a squeaky door open at the top of the stairs. Light flooded my vision, and I blinked for a moment until my eyes adjusted. Sadly, as soon as I had gotten used to it, the door was once again closed, and Gideon's footsteps could be heard as he made his way down. I didn't even bother looking at him, and kept my body in the same position. I had finally found some semblance of comfort after hours without movement, and like hell I was going to let him ruin it for me.

Needless to say, that resolve didn't last long...

Gideon mimicked what he'd done the day before and yanked me forward by my hair. I yelped in shock, eyes wide and barely focused on him in front of me. "Morning!" he chirped, a sickening grin on his face. "Well, morning for you, it seems. It's actually about four in the afternoon, you know. I just got back from school." His grip on my hair loosened, letting go after a moment or two. I relaxed slightly, finding it was all I could really do at the moment. Gideon hummed, turning away from me and stepping towards the table in the corner, his shoes clicking against the concrete ground.

"You know, a search has already been started to find you. An official one at that! And it's barely been twenty-four hours. Can you believe it? Bill must be pretty persuasive to somehow pull that off," he went on casually, looking through all of the items sprawled across the table. I stayed quiet, deciding I wasn't going to let him get under my skin. Or at least, he wasn't going to know if he did. Gideon seemed to sense this, and chuckled. "Actually, Bill approached me today." He stopped, glancing back at me to gauge my reaction. I remained expressionless.

Gideon made a dissatisfied sound in the back of his throat, running his index finger along the blade of a knife, as if testing it. "He made a rather rude comment about my nose, too. The nerve of him! It ain't my fault it's broken," he continued. Unable to conceal it, I gave a slight snicker in response. Which seemed to be a mistake, because the next thing I knew, a knife had been flung at my head, just barely missing me and hitting the wall behind me with an echoing clang. I froze, expression blank and heart beating out of my chest.

"ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME?!" screeched an outraged Gideon, who was visibly shaking. His voice reached a volume I hadn't thought capable by any normal person. Honestly, I probably would've cowered if I weren't so shocked. A few moments passed. Gideon seemed to calm himself, beaming at me as if nothing had happened. "Don't look at me that way, Pines. It's your own fault for making a fool of me. You wouldn't even be here if you didn't constantly do that. Taking what belongs to me, making me leave town, then rubbing your healthy little relationship in my face with all of your lovey dovey filth. It's disgusting."

I narrowed my eyes at him, clenching my jaw to keep from responding.

"And now, I'm in charge. I pull the strings. Don't you hate it?" His smile widened. "I've been pulling the strings, actually. For a very long time. Turning you into a paranoid mess, worrying everyone around you, having Bill step up to 'protect' you from me; all of it was calculated into this. Into right now."

My expression faltered, but I forced my gaze to remain level.

"Of course, I had no way of knowing his mother would be coming home. But that served in being a useful catalyst in furthering my plan. And that in itself is satisfying. Just another person you'll inevitably hurt, because all of them love you. And it's all. Your. Fault."

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I willed them to go away.

Gideon picked up a particularly scary looking object from off the table, still grinning at me.

"How's it feel, Dipper?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

 **(Bill)**

Time passed. Mabel was a mess. Everyone was. I had stepped into Penelope's office the day after to tell her Dipper had been kidnapped and she was already a worried wreck of a person. The information I had given her did nothing to comfort her. She just sat in her office now, at her chair with her head in her hands, muttering inaudible nonsense to herself. It was way too quiet now. Nobody really talked much because nobody felt up to speaking. Even my history teacher had approached me after class one day. She'd put a hand on my shoulder, looking sympathetic. She told me they'd find him. I wanted to tell her that I we would because I'd go insane without him, but that wouldn't really help anything, now would it?

It felt strange, having someone that had previously looked at me as a nuisance take pity on me. Like this loss made me more human in their eyes. But I said nothing, silently allowing people to cast me sideways glances. The whole town knew what had happened at this point. There had been a search going on to find him the entire week. Of course they had no luck. I knew who it was. I knew, but I had no evidence beyond his past harassment of the Pines family. Still, that meant nothing in the eyes of the police. Because as far as they knew; as far as I could tell them, he had done nothing illegal previous to this.

Worst of all, he had the nerve to show up to school everyday and act as if nothing had happened. He'd glare at me from time to time, a smirk adorning his face. I had taken Dipper's role in keeping him away from Mabel in the meantime. But besides that, I could do nothing to him. If I beat the living shit out of him like I absolutely wanted to, he'd twist that and use it against me. He'd tell people I had attacked him unprovoked, and I'd end up being the one behind bars. I couldn't do that to Dipper, no matter how much I wanted Gideon dead.

I had passed him in the hall on the first day, though. I'd grabbed his arm, yanking him to the side and holding him in place. "Looks like Pine Tree put up one hell of a fight. You look worse than usual," I'd snarled, glancing towards his crooked and swollen nose. Gideon tore his arm away from me, laughing. "Do you know what my favorite part of winter is, Cipher? Snow. Pure and cold," he replied, walking in the opposite direction. I headed off as well, going my own way without so much as another look behind me. I had no idea what the time of year it was had to do with Dipper. What the hell did that even mean? It hasn't even snowed yet, and it's already late December...

And as each day - each moment - had passed, my confidence dwindled. I held up a strong front, though. Mabel and Pacifica needed me to. But that would never shake the underlying horror of what was happening to Dipper. I hated knowing on a very basic level what was being done to him, but having no real and true knowledge. I feared for his sanity, for his life. It drove me to a point where I could never stop moving, or else I'd lose myself in my own anxiety. I constantly fidgeted, tapped my feet, moved my hands, anything I could do to be sure I was never perfectly still. It was my only means of distraction, and I knew it.

"You didn't have to take me home, you know," Mabel pointed out cheerfully, but it was obviously forced.

I kept my eyes straight ahead. "It's no problem, Shooting Star," I replied, closing my eyes. "...I don't really want you walking home on your own right now anyway."

Mabel hummed in understanding, opening her door. There was a long moment of silence. She got out, her hand against the frame of the door, lingering there. She leaned down, her eyes darting to the side for a moment before meeting mine. "Hey... Do you wanna maybe come in for a bit? I kinda owe you at least a drink for bringing me home today," she offered with a smile. Mabel giggled, reaching out a gloved hand to tug at my sleeve teasingly. "Plus I've just decided you can't say no. It's already snowed and Dip told me how much you hate the cold."

I sighed, letting a small smile curve my lips upwards. I turned the car off, getting out on my side. "Guess I have no choice then," I said simply, closing the door. Mabel grinned, rushing to my side, grabbing my wrist, and leading me inside with a newfound skip in her step. She stopped in the kitchen, moving towards the cabinet to pull out a coffee filter. I watched her for a few moments, but soon found myself growing restless. "Uh, I think I'm gonna go upstairs for a few minutes. Call me when it's done," I said, backing out the doorway. I felt bad leaving her right then, but I simply couldn't stay still without something to occupy myself. And I think she knew that, because she gave no word of complaint.

"Alright. Just don't bother Grunkle Ford. He's working on something," she called after me, watching me go. I hummed, making my way up the steps. I turned to the right, stopping in front of Dipper's door. Reaching out a shaky hand, I grasped the knob. I realized then that I had been holding my breath, and exhaled. Stepping inside, I absorbed my surroundings with relish. The familiar scent, the scattered papers covered in scribbles and doodling, the plain wooden walls. I sighed, collapsing on Dipper's bed. I closed my eyes. If I tried hard enough, I could almost pretend everything was okay. But that was nothing but a lie, conjured in my brain as a means of denial.

I flipped onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. What was happening to Dipper in that moment? How much pain was he in? Or was he even conscious to feel it? I sat up, pressing my palms into my eyes. "Please be okay..." I muttered through grit teeth, shaking my head. "I can't lose you, too. Not now. Not after everything." I leaned back against the head board of his bed, noting the fact that something made a crinkling noise when I did so, its point pressed against my spine. I reached a hand behind me to retrieve it, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. When I pulled it out, I realized it was a small piece of copy paper. Written on it in small black letters was 'the first snow of the season is always the loveliest.'

I blinked. Snow? Kinda reminds me of- My eyes widened. "Dipper," I said to myself, springing upwards. I knew in that moment where Dipper was. I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mabel turned around to face me, beaming. "I was actually just about to-" but I grabbed her hand, cutting her off. I sped out the door with a wildly puzzled Mabel behind me. I told her what I knew was supposed to be a message from Gideon, and led her into the woods. The first snow of the season had been that day. It shouldn't have been hard to spot a person amongst all the whiteness. I was clearly wrong in my assumption. I looked everywhere, and Mabel double checked just to be sure. The effort it took to keep moving burned my legs, and the wind whipping against my face pierced into my skin. But I still didn't stop for so much as a moment to catch my breath. This was a matter of life and death, after all.

After what felt like an eternity, I noticed a bright crimson in the snow. I darted towards it, falling to my knees beside who I knew was Dipper on the ground. I reached out a hand, swiping the fresh frost and snow away. I felt my breath hitch. It was definitely him, that much was certain, but he was barely recognizable. His face was gaunt, dark rings beneath his closed eyes. There was a large gash across his cheek, directly below his left eye, and his lips were beginning to turn a deep shade of indigo. His skin was ashen, borderline vampiric, and he wasn't even wearing a jacket in the below-freezing weather, not that I'd expected much better. I tried to ignore the wounds on his body and the way his ribs poked out against his skin.

His chest hardly rose and fell. The only true indication of life in him was his pulse against the pale skin of his wrist and the way he trembled violently against the cold. "Call an ambulance. Tell them to come to the Mystery Shack immediately. This is an emergency," I said in an authoritative tone, trying to force myself to keep calm. Mabel hesitated a moment. I knew she wanted to touch Dipper. She wanted to confirm this wasn't just some sick trick and that he really was alive. She did as she was told, though, pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing. I didn't listen to her conversation with whoever had answered, but I heard very clearly the desperation in her voice. I understood completely. This had the potential to be Dipper's final moments if we didn't get him to the hospital as soon as possible.

I hoisted him upwards, pushing him up against my back to hold him. Dipper's arms hung limply over my shoulders, and I supported all of his weight with my arms looped around his legs. His head fell softly against the back of my neck, and I found comfort in the sensation of his soft breathing on my skin. That at least meant we still had time. Mabel followed me, making sure I didn't somehow unknowingly add anymore discomfort to Dipper's clearly already painful trip home. Sirens went off in the distance, and grew louder as we approached the Shack.

"Sirens? Did I do something illegal aga-" Stan's voice echoed out from inside the building, but faded as soon as his eyes came to rest on Mabel and I. He didn't say anything more, rushing over to see if who I was carrying was actually his great nephew. The sounds of the ambulance had become very prominent, and I could see it very quickly approaching us. As soon as it stopped, two men emerged from inside, coming to lay Dipper down on a gurney and get him inside the ambulance. They went to pressing some ventilator machine against his mouth and checking his pulse. They closed the door without so much as a word, and took off. Barely a question was even asked.

I darted over to my car, waving Mabel and Stan over. "Hurry up," I said, opening my door. Stanford stepped out of the house, looking confused about the whole situation. "Stanley, what's going-" but he was cut off by his twin grabbing his arm, opening the car door, and shoving him inside. I sat down, turning on the ignition as Stan and Mabel both got in. Immediately the car was filled with sound. Mabel called Pacifica and Wendy to tell them what had happened and Stan went to answering any of Ford's questions. I was the only one who remained silent, eyes on the flashing ambulance in front of me as we sped towards the hospital. I felt a hand on my arm, and glanced over to see Stan looking at me.

"Kid, he's going to be fine now. Calm down," he said, pointing a finger at my hands, which clutched the wheel so tightly my knuckles had begun to turn white.

I grit my teeth. "He isn't fine until Gideon's gone for good. That bastard deserves the worst," I growled in response, raising my voice just a little too much. I saw Mabel flinch through my rearview mirror. I shot her an apologetic look from the mirror, and she let her eyes fall. I turned my gaze back towards the road, taking a deep breath and letting my stiff shoulders slump down slightly. "I want him dead." I murmured. My voice was almost pleading. Like I was asking them to stop me from actually offing Gideon. And someone would probably have to pry me off of him the next time I saw him. I was sure of that. He wasn't getting out of a punishment unscathed. Even if I had to be the one to see it be carried out. I took a shaking breath, attempting to calm my nerves. My entire body was quivering, and it was difficult to keep my focus where it needed to be as we turned into the parking lot.

"I don't like him being around any more than you do. But killing him is not going to do you or anyone else any good, Bill," Stanford's voice said, and I bit back my words, stopping the car. I nodded weakly, turning it off and stepping out. The others followed behind immediately. I watched the ambulance at the door as the two men I'd seen earlier wheeled in a freezing and - as far as I could tell - newly awakened Dipper. I ran to catch up with them as they rushed him inside. I needed to see him. I needed to talk to him. I was stopped by a woman in the hallway. She pressed her palms against my shoulders, holding me back. "I'm sorry, sir. You're going to have to wait," she said sympathetically, eyes examining my desperate expression. She knew who I was going for, even without me saying anything.

I shook my head. "I've already waited longer than I can stand. Please," I begged, watching them take him into a room and close the door.

The woman sighed, taking my hand and leading me in the other direction. I didn't fight her, but I wanted to so badly. She made me sit down in a chair, leaning down to be face to face with me. "It doesn't take an x-ray to figure out that his arm is pretty messed up. A rib or two probably. He's clearly dehydrated and doesn't look like he's eaten in days. There's head trauma -possibly severe- and a lot of those cuts and wounds are never going to fully heal. He's going to need you, and soon, but not right now. Right now he needs to get everything treated. Do you understand?" she asked, still grasping my hand. I sighed, nodding my head. I think I'd needed that. But hey, it was kind of her job to comfort the panicking loved ones of patients that came into the hospital.

"I'm going to contact the police. After he comes to, they're going to speak with him for a while. But then it's your turn. You just have to be patient. Can you do that?" she went on to ask, letting go of my hand and standing up. I let my head hang, hands entangled in my own hair. "I don't know..." I choked out, clenching my eyes shut. Mabel, who had only just caught up to me, sat down in the seat beside mine, watching me silently. She waved off the woman, who exhaled and walked away to go call the police, as she'd said she would. I didn't say anything for a long time. No one did.

Not long after that, two cops came into the hospital to question each of us one at a time. I went last, most likely because of how horribly distraught I'd looked when they came in. "Where did you find him?" was the first question. I thought that it was easy enough to answer. I told them about the note, and about searching for Dipper in the woods. I told them everything I needed to, not skipping over a single detail. It was the only way to completely incriminate Gideon for what he had done. I'd even handed the note over to them. The sheriff nodded, jotting down important bits of information. "That'll do," he said, sending me on my way and leading his deputy into the room Dipper was resting in. I sat back down, pulling out my phone to call someone I was sure would be very interested to know that he was safe.

I dialed the number, holding the phone up to my ear. A few moments passed before someone picked up. "Hello...?" a feminine voice chimed somberly, clearly not in the mood for small talk at the moment. I let a smile curl my lips upwards, happy to at least give someone some good news, some peace of mind. "We found him," I said, and that was all I'd needed to say. Penelope sprang to life again, her usual self shining through almost instantaneously.

"Where are you?" she asked, happiness surfacing in her voice.

I chuckled. "The hospital."

She gave a quick "on my way" before hanging up. And then silence prevailed once more. I sighed, going back to waiting for the doctors to let me see Dipper. And I waited like that for a long time. Hours, actually. Penelope had arrived quickly, and she'd waited with Mabel, the Stans, and I as well. It was horrendous, and I paced around restlessly for much of the time. The police had left already and it was just us. That is, until a man in a white coat emerged from Dipper's room. "I'm sorry for the long wait. He is conscious now, but-" I didn't even wait for him to finish. I darted into the room with Mabel right beside me to see Dipper looking around with unfocused, fearful eyes.

His hair was damp, like it had recently been washed, and his head was patched up. There was a cast that stretched from the palm of his hand to halfway up his forearm and a bandage over the cut on his cheek. There were some stitches here and there on his arms, but nothing seemed particularly damaged besides his psyche, and it showed. The way he flinched when we entered the room was enough to give that away. I stepped close to him, Mabel doing the same. "Bro, I am never letting you out of my sight again," she teased, and he scoffed. There were tears in her eyes as she took yet another step forward. "Would it hurt if I ran over and hugged you?"

Dipper grinned, giving her a shrug. "No more than anything else would," he replied. That was all he'd needed to say. Mabel rushed over, throwing her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder. She sobbed loudly, holding onto him for dear life. He hissed, but said nothing as he brought up his uninjured hand to wrap around her. I just watched, not making a move towards them. Mabel pulled herself away from him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I was so worried," she croaked, sniffling.

Dipper's expression softened. "I'm sorry," he murmured, eyes on the ground. I opened my mouth to say something, but Penelope and Dipper's uncles walked into the room, stopping me. Penelope was the next person to dart to his side, frantically asking him questions about how he felt and pointing out just how thin he had become. He seemed a bit uncomfortable, but responded as he usually would've, unbearably polite for someone that may have died that day under slightly harsher circumstances. I still remained quiet. I had no real idea what to say. Ford seemed to, though. "You must be the luckiest kid on the planet," he scoffed, adjusting his glasses.

Dipper chuckled, giving a slight nod. "I guess I am," he responded quietly, his voice still weak. A few moments passed, and Dipper looked down at the cast on his arm. "Hey, um.. I know I haven't seen you guys in like... I don't even know. And I know you guys were really worried about me, but I also really need to talk to Bill. Is that okay?" he went on softly. Stan nodded, leading the others out. Mabel was the last to go, hesitant to leave her brother's side at all. She settled with a simple huff, leaning down and kissing his unscathed cheek before following the others out. I just stared at him, stammering for words to say. I wanted to say so many things, and all of my words jumbled together in my mind.

I love you, you're safe, I'm never leaving you again, Gideon will pay for what he did, how hurt are you, can you still feel it, do you need anything, and I promise I won't let this happen to you again. All of those thoughts spiraled in my head like a hurricane, but none of them came out correctly. All I somehow managed to choke out was a nearly inaudible, "I am so... so sorry."

Dipper shook his head, gesturing for me to come closer. "Sit down," he said quietly, and I pulled a chair towards his bed. I did as I'd been told, watching him with interest. He looked down, jaw tight and his eyes full of something I couldn't quite name. A few moments passed like that. I allowed them to, waiting patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "Bill... A-am I..." he started, screwing his eyes shut. He took a deep breath, forcing his gaze to match mine. "Am I just some game to you?"

I didn't respond.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **(Dipper)**

Bill just stared at me for the longest time, speechless. "Pine Tree, I-" I shook my head, looking away from him.

"Don't even," I hissed, forcing my gaze to remain cold. "A bet? I mean, really? Were you actually that low at some point, Bill? Low enough to think of another person as a game..."

He visibly winced and hesitated before he took my face into his hands, and I resisted the urge to flinch at the pressure being put on the cut on my cheek. His deep electric blue eyes pierced directly into mine, almost meekly, and he took a deep breath. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone. But the familiar warmth of his hands and the genuine expression on his face kept me from doing so. I think I just reveled in any pleasant contact at all after what I'd suffered through for so long. Or maybe I just didn't want to believe that someone I had given so much of myself to would intentionally hurt me.

"It was a game, okay? I betted I could make you fall in love with me..." he admitted with a cringe at his own words. I narrowed my eyes, and he glanced downwards for a second before looking back up. "I knew it was wrong from the beginning, and I didn't feel guilty. Or at least, not until I actually started hanging around you. You always said things nobody else ever thought to say. Especially to me. Things that were so profound or thought provoking that it actually seemed to reach me, and that's hard to do, Pine Tree. It was always easy to pretend to react the way people want you to when you've retreated as far from reality as I have. But you always seemed to see right through it, from the very beginning. Nobody had ever told me like it was. Nobody had ever treated me like an actual human being. I've always been what was necessary at the moment. And it was never harder to hold up an act around someone until you." His hands fell and he looked down, brows curved towards each other.

"Dipper. I love you. That was never a lie, and just about everything I've ever told you was true. My angsty bullshit, my stupid bad habits, everything. Real. All that wasn't was the one secret I didn't have it in me to tell you..." he seemed to be choking on his own frustration at that point, eyes closed.

I don't know what it was that led me to take pity on him. Maybe it was the way he had called me 'Dipper'. Maybe it was the way his voice had quivered as he'd spoken. I sighed, leaning into him. "I shouldn't trust you..." I murmured softly, lifting a hand to pull him closer and run my fingers through his hair, which was much more unkempt than usual. And his eyes... With him so close I could clearly see how tired he was, dark violet rings below them informing me of just how much sleep he had gotten without me. I tipped my head down onto his shoulder with a sigh. "When did it stop being just some joke?" I asked, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Bill brought his hands back up, one of them on my shoulder and the other one against my stomach. His thumb traced over one of the bandaged cuts softly, carefully. As if he'd memorized exactly where it was. I winced, but didn't stop him. "Do you remember when I visited your house for the first time? When you asked me to tell you something personal?" he questioned, opening his eyes once more to stare into mine. I hummed, signalling that I did. Had that been fake too? "When you put my glasses on my face and... and what you said. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I realized that I had never smiled much before then, not for real, at least. And I thought about how much you seemed to bring that side of me out. The better side. The side I actually like.

"I realized then that nobody else made me feel like that. Like I can fuck up and still have someone there actually driving me to pick myself back up. Like I can say things and feel as if I actually belong. Pine Tree, I'd never had that before. All my life, I hated what I was. I hated the way I looked because of my parents. I hated my glasses because I didn't fit the ideal image of how people wanted me to appear. I hated myself, so I got angry and I lashed out. My own fucking mother couldn't stand me and I subjected myself to people I shouldn't have. And all they did was tear me down, which made me angrier.

"But you... You make me feel like there's actually something good about me, like no matter how I dress or look or whatever, you're still going to be there to tell me I'm doing something right. And hell, I must be if I somehow managed to make you fall for me, too. So please... Please believe me when I tell you I never lied about being absolutely, head over heels, desperately, spinning in the palm of your hand, in love with you." By the end of his speech, I was just staring at him, slack-jawed and unable to respond. He chuckled, his cheeks bright red. "Heh... Wow, I just said all that. That sounded pretty stupid and sappy. I'm sorry..." his voice trailed off as he apologized half-heartedly, looking down at his fingers, which were still trailing along one of the cuts on my stomach, right beneath a rib I could only assume was broken based on the dull pain under my skin.

"No, that was... I..." I tried to say, but I was the one stammering this time. I let my better arm come down some so it was resting against his cheek and I leaned forward. Bill just stared, watching me in interest. I let my lips press softly against his and, although shocked, Bill pushed back, closing his eyes. That'd probably sent him the message I had intended for. I reluctantly broke away from him to lay my head back on his shoulder. "You're a stupid fucking jerk. But god, if I'm not stupid for missing you, missing this..." I muttered, nuzzling into his neck. Bill chuckled, toying with my hair absentmindedly.

"Love you, too," he mused. A few moments passed. He made a thoughtful hum, as if something still didn't quite add up in his mind. "Who told you about the bet anyway?" he asked curiously, and I looked up into somewhat confused sapphire eyes. I blinked. Strange question, because it should've been a pretty self explanatory answer.

"Gideon," I started, looking back down. I shuddered at the memory. "He kept talking about how everything was just some joke, and as soon as you saw everything he'd done then... Then I really would be alone. That you'd be disgusted and leave, he'd take my sister away, and everything I'd ever cared about would just... Disappear, I guess," I was forcing the words out by the end, my hands on my stomach, the one in the cast pressing uselessly against a scarred and now throbbing wound while the other dug bandaged fingers into my flesh. I could far too clearly see the knives and the blood and the huge grin on Gideon's face. He'd always just talked casually, as if with a friend, while I suffered through whatever was happening at the moment. He'd always brought up the bet and my hopelessness when it seemed I was too numb to care about pain anymore, just to open up a whole different kind of wound to damage me with. And just thinking about it at all...

I was shaking violently, the pain I was inflicting on my fractured ribs and rather close to breaking skin barely even noticeable through my terror. I breathed quickly, each inhale sharp and shallow. Closing my eyes, I attempted to calm myself down. Of course, it did me little good.

I felt Bill shift so he was sitting on the edge of my bed, arms wound around my small frame. Christ, I'd been small before, but I felt like a child next to him right then. Not that I'd expected much else. Barely eating tended to do that to people. He held me close to him, whispering "it's okay" repeatedly and resting his chin on the top of my head. He stroked my back soothingly, using his other hand to very gingerly remove my own from my stomach, thankfully before I managed to break open a cut on my skin. A few minutes passed that way. I felt my nerves begin to wind back down, closing my eyes and leaning into his touch. I'd missed this. I'd missed it so much. And the fact that Bill was here at all was enough to put me back at ease. I took a deep breath, smiling softly. "I don't want to leave you here alone at all..." he muttered, not moving.

I chuckled, grinning schemingly. "Good, because I don't want to be here either. So tomorrow, whether anyone likes it or not, I'm checking out. I hate hospitals, and this one isn't an exception," I replied, waving my hand like it was nothing. The good one, of course. The other I tried not to move at all after that outburst. I knew it was fine. I suppose that had simply become a habit I'd have to break. Bill had this reluctant look, but I could see in his eyes that he wanted me home just as much as I did. He took my hand into both of his, looking down at them and letting his fingers trail along my knuckles. "Anything you want, Pine Tree," he said quietly, examining the bandages on my fingers. "What happened here?" he went on to ask, glancing up into my eyes. I instinctively looked away, jaw tight.

I recalled it with a shudder, closing my eyes and shaking my head slowly. "I don't want to talk about it," I whispered. He sighed, the sound almost as painful to hear as it must've been to utter.

"Okay..." he breathed back, one hand still encompassing mine and holding on like I would disappear if he let go. "It's okay."

I think he was reassuring himself of that more so than he was me.

Going back to school was... difficult, to say the least. People stared at me in horror and shock. They all either immediately asked me about what had happened, or they simply eyed all the bandages on my body, like they expected me to tell them where they had come from just like that. I wasn't fond of the attention, but thankfully, neither was Bill. He always pulled me away, someplace less crowded. I couldn't begin to explain how grateful I was for this, because it seemed that I had become somewhat prone to panic attacks. The doctors told me that they would likely pass, and that they were easily treated if they didn't. It was just the initial shock and trauma causing it, they'd said, and I wouldn't have to worry about it before long.

At least, probably.

I also had to face Gideon everyday, which was what I dreaded most. I had to leave him be, though. Interacting with him could disrupt the investigation that had been going on to 'find' my captor. Of course, the main focus was on Gideon, but he had obviously planned for this. There was no evidence beyond the testimonies of Bill, Mabel, and I against him. That would never be enough to convict him, though. We needed evidence, which was harder to come by than I had expected. I had no idea where I had been held beyond the fact that I knew I had been underground. Nowhere that was checked seemed promising, though. Not a fingerprint, blood splatter, weapon, nothing. And after spending twelve days (as I'd been informed) somewhere, you'd think I'd recognize the place. But I definitely did not recognize anything that seemed remotely probable. So there had to be something the police were missing, some little detail I was overlooking. And that was never a good thing in cases like these.

Home was just as bad, if not worse. Nobody really knew how to approach me anymore, with the exception of Mabel. Ford always had this sympathetic look in his eyes, like he was reading me. Like he thought I was a broken tea cup that required his care. It admittedly pissed me off. Being a psychologist doesn't mean you know everything, I'd always think bitterly to myself, turning my gaze away from him. Stan really was no better. He censored himself constantly. He'd be halfway through a joke, then stop, looking at me with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. He believed he would offend me. What really offended me was the way he thought I needed to be coddled and tended to every second of the day.

"I'm not some mess on the floor for you to step around and avoid, you know," I finally hissed, standing up to leave. "I'm not dead, and I'm not dying. So quit treating me like I have a fucking terminal illness." Stan blinked, and seemed lost for words. I turned away, stomping off. It was childish, I knew. But I didn't care. I was just so unbelievably stressed out that I wanted to hit something, to go out into the woods where no one could hear me and scream curses towards the sky. I sat down on the porch steps, pulling my phone out of my pocket to text Bill. I asked him to come pick me up, which he of course agreed to do. I sat there for a few minutes, huddled against the wooden column beside me, watching my breath come out in puffs. Maybe I should've grabbed gloves or something, but there was no way I was going back into the Shack.

I felt the presence of someone beside me. "Not in the mood, Mabel," I grumbled, burying my head into my knees. The person next to me chuckled, sitting down at my side. That definitely was not Mabel's laugh. I glanced over to see uncle Ford, who seemed to be staring off into space, a distant look in his eye. He had that look all the time. As a kid, I'd always wondered where he went when he retreated into his own mind. But right then, I didn't think he really went anywhere. Maybe that was just me being dreary, though. "Dipper, I know Stan and I don't always see eye to eye. We have our arguments, but-"

I cut him off, closing my eyes. "All the time..." I muttered, furrowing my eyebrows.

Ford was silent for a few moments. "...Yes. All the time," he replied solemnly, and I knew I'd hit him below the belt. Guilt flooded my head. "But he's not a bad guy. There hasn't been one time I've thought he wasn't looking out for you kids." Ford went on, folding his hands in his lap.

I shook my head. "That's not it! I just-"

Ford gave me a stern glare. "Quit acting like a child, Dipper," he ordered firmly.

I narrowed my eyes. "I can't just change what I a-" But once again, he interrupted me mid-sentence.

"You and I both know you're smarter than that. You have never acted like this. You were practically eighteen by the time you were twelve. So I don't want to hear these kinds of excuses from you, of all people," Ford said with slight anger, an eyebrow raised quizzically. I clenched my jaw, choosing then to keep my mouth shut. He took a deep breath. "Did it ever occur to you that you aren't the only one in the house that's gone through something horrible, something traumatizing?"

I was outraged. "Of course I have!" I growled, raising my voice. "How selfish do you think I am?!"

Ford took a deep breath, running his fingers through the ever present bed head he never seemed to bother taming. "You aren't listening to me. I never said you were selfish. You're frustrated. You're angry and you don't know why and you don't who to take it out on. Dipper, face it; you're scared. And you're natural reaction is to lash out. That's normal, but... you should really think about who you're lashing out at. Do you know what Mabel was like when you were gone?" he asked, eyes dark and serious. I looked down, unable to face him now that I realized just how right he was.

Ford didn't wait for me to reply, though. "She was a mess. She was out of the house all day until midnight- at least -looking for you. Every. Single. Day. So was Pacifica. And so was Bill. By the end of the tenth, we were all just praying you were still alive. When Bill found you out in the woods, they were all borderline inconsolable. Bill tried to get past a nurse to see you. Mabel just seemed lost in her own thoughts, like she wasn't even there anymore. And when Pacifica found out, she started to cry. Not quietly, either. I could hear her over Mabel's phone. She sounded like a child that needed tending to. Dipper, I know you're scared. I've said it already. I know you just want them to find enough evidence and convict Gideon already. I know you just want everyone around you to be safe. But this isn't only your battle. This is mine, and Stan's, and everyone else's, too. You will never get through this on your own. That doesn't mean you're dependent. That means you're human. It means you occasionally need to accept help and lean on people. You don't have to be the hero all the time, alright?" By the end of his speech, my face was in my hands and I was forcing myself not to break down into tears.

Everyone I knew, everyone I loved; they were all crying. Mabel had cried more than a few times since I'd come back. Bill had cried only once - as far as I knew - after he'd gotten a good, long look at the scars all over me. Pacifica had cried trying to comfort Mabel. Wendy had too, more so out of sheer joy and relief than anything. Ford and Stan were no exceptions, although the 'tougher' of the two had denied it fiercely. But I refused to cry anymore. I was done with tears. I was done with self pity and anger. It was time I took the initiative to move on. After all, Gideon won if I just let this be the end of me. So I sucked in a deep breath, stood up, and walked back into the Shack. Stan was making his way towards the living room, still in his suit, when I stepped towards him.

He turned to face me, scowling. I didn't give him the opportunity to say anything before winding my arms around his torso. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Neither me nor Stan were very affectionate towards one another at all. But hey; what would Mabel do, right? "Kid. What the hell are ya doin?" he grunted, patting my shoulder awkwardly. I chuckled. That strange, forced chuckle that people do when they have no idea what to say. "Uhh... Taking the Mabel approach?" I replied questioningly, shrugging slightly and pulling myself away.

Stan laughed. "It's nothin. Don't worry about it so much," he said, ruffling my hat obnoxiously, a gesture he hadn't bothered with since I was like... thirteen. "And please - I'm begging you - never do that again."

This time both of us laughed. "Alright, alright," I said, waving my hands in defeat. "But you've got to stop being so quiet around me. I'm not as sensitive as I used to be, you know."

Stan rolled his eyes, turning away from me. "Whatever you say, kid. Now get out. Three days back and I already need another break from ya," he teased, disappearing into the other room. I grinned. That's better, I said to myself, turning my own way. I stepped back outside to see Bill talking to Ford, leaning on one of the wooden columns. His eyes darted to the side, meeting mine. "Hey, Pine Tree. You coming?" he asked, beaming brilliantly at me. I nodded, but raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"It's not that cold, Bill," I pointed out, noting the coat, which his hands were plunged into, the scarf hanging loosely around his neck, and the black snow boots.

He scoffed. "Like hell it isn't," he huffed, his breath creating a cloud in front of his face. I just smiled, flicking his reddened nose as I passed by to get to his car. Ford teased us about the very eloquent way we express our affections, to which Bill responded, as he usually does, like a smartass. "Oh, that's nothing, Sixer. We keep it PG for you kids here. God forbid you somehow catch the gay radiating off of us." The both of them shared a laugh. I just grimaced, grabbing Bill's arm and yanking him towards the other side of the car. He took that as a hint and got in, still laughing. Grumbling, I did the same.

Ford seemed to remember something right then. "Oh, yeah!" he started, and I held my door open curiously. "Don't make any plans for Christmas. Your sister wants both of you here and she insists that you have no choice in the matter." He said this in an amused tone, gesturing between Bill and I. Bill grinned, giving the slightest chuckle at whatever it was Mabel had up her sleeve. I just nodded, honestly kind of expecting that from her. Ford waved, smiling merrily. I returned the gesture, closing my door and buckling my seatbelt as Bill turned the ignition key.

"Where do you wanna go?" he asked, glancing over at me.

I blinked. "Oh. I figured we'd just be heading to your place," I muttered in slight disappointment. My injuries and anxieties didn't really have me all that excited to do much anymore.

Bill knew this, but he sighed in defeat. "Can't. Mom's making me get out of the house for a while. Warden's orders and all that," he explained with a slight frown. He noticed my expression. "I'm sure she'd make an exception for you, though. If you really don't feel up to anything, I mean. You're pretty much family to her." I perked up at that, but shook my head. It felt good to know I had already earned Lily's approval.

"No, it's fine. Pick somewhere and I'll go," I said, smiling. Bill nodded, but still seemed hesitant. "I can't just lie around forever. Your mom's right. We should do something."

Bill thought it over. "You want me to choose?" he asked. There was an excited look on his face, like a kid being offered candy.

I grinned at that. Bill could be so childish. "Yup."

Sitting on the hood of Bill's car, I kept staring up at the sky. The sun had flickered out and stars dotted the now deep violet sky. I had always liked the way the sky had looked at night, always admired the stars. Ironically. I grinned, eyes tracing every detail, connecting the glimmering lights in my mind. I smiled, glancing at Bill, who seemed more interested in looking at me than anything else. I smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Got your eyes on something?" I asked slyly, leaning against his shoulder.

Bill scoffed, bringing up an arm to wrap around my shoulders. "Always," he whispered, his voice light and serene. "And I'm not taking them off of you for a second ever again." I felt that same flutter in my chest that never seemed to fade, even after all the time I'd spent with him. I closed my eyes. Right then, things felt normal, peaceful. I could forget about my cast. I could forget about my bandages. I could forget about my scars. And things almost felt normal.

"So why here, of all places?" I asked curiously, wrapping my arms around Bill's torso and burying myself in his warmth, though it was just slightly uncomfortable. It hurt to stretch my arm out, but I did anyway, finding that the pain quickly ebbed away. I closed my eyes for a few moments, then opened them again to look up at the blonde fondly. Well, he was blonde, but against the light of the moon hovering above us, his hair seemed to turn almost white, and I was unsure if I thought he looked silly or not. He gave me a sideways grin, then looked back up at the sky. "It's quiet, out of town, away from people. I thought you might like it," he murmured softly, pulling the cap off my head to comb his fingers through my hair. "I come up here a lot, to be honest. But I've never brought anyone with me."

I nuzzled into his coat, breathing in that same bittersweet scent that seemed to be all Bill's own. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?" I cooed, smirking against the plush fabric.

Bill hummed. "I have my reasons, Pine Tree. You should just know how special you are for me to even consider bringing you here," he responded quietly, and I glanced up. There was a far away look in his eyes, which shone a brilliant silver. I could only guess what his reasons were, but something told me I could figure it out without him telling me.

I sighed after a long period of silence between us. "I should probably get back to the Shack." Not that I wanted to go.

"No need," Bill said, placing my hat back onto my head, mindful of the fact that I hadn't fully recovered from my head trauma quite yet. "You're staying at my place tonight. I talked to Sixer about it earlier."

I wasn't sure. "But I'd hate to be a burden. I know Lily probably doesn't need more-"

Bill cut me off. "Pine Tree, Mom likes having you around more than she likes having me around, which is hard considering how much she's been on me about catching up and doing stupid family stuff. Plus, I know you're just as exhausted as I am. Look at us. We're vampires, for god's sakes. I need you around or else I don't feel at ease anymore, and the same can obviously be said about you," he explained, and I unwound my arms from around him. He stood up, holding a hand out for me to take. I did, allowing him to tug me off the hood of his car and back onto my feet. "We should probably go now anyway. It is way too cold for this."

I snorted. "Bill, it really isn't that cold."

There was a deathly serious look on his face. "Is there snow on the ground?" he asked, gesturing around.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "...Yes?"

"Well, then it must be that cold."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

 **(Bill)**

Dipper examined his arm with a slight smile. He had graduated from a cast to a brace in just a few weeks. Apparently the damage hadn't been quite as bad as he'd thought. A simple fracture and some bruising on the bone, which may sound strange, but obviously possible. He had started looking like himself again, the color returning to his face and the glimmer returning to his eyes. He was gaining back the weight he had lost as well, which I was most happy about. I didn't like the way Dipper had walked around looking so disgusted with his appearance, and both of us benefited from his return to the way he had looked before. Of course, there were a few things that remained, and Dipper didn't seem to quite understand how little I actually cared about his scars.

If he'd been insecure before, he certainly was after the damage Gideon had inflicted. It pained me, but I wasn't exactly talented when it came to talking about those things, so I really had no idea how to tell Dipper it didn't fucking matter. Whenever I said anything I may consider sappy or touchy feely, I'd always apologize and feel really stupid immediately afterwards. I was better off expressing my affections physically and letting Dipper be the wordy one. And that's usually how it went.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him onto my lap and burying my nose into his neck. Dipper hissed slightly, flinching against my touch. I remembered that I had to be careful near his ribs and loosened my grip, letting my fingers trail along his stomach apologetically. Dipper closed his eyes, leaning against me and sighing contentedly. "I need to do my homework," he said quietly, but his expression told me that he didn't actually mind.

"That's okay," I purred, pressing my lips against the crook of his neck. Dipper shuddered, but quickly regained his composure. He shook his head, pushing himself away from me just slightly.

He was visibly guilty, but scooted further away. "I'm not... I'm not really up for anything like that, alright?" he asked quietly, his voice just barely audible. I glanced downwards with a nod, hesitantly reaching out to pull him back towards me. Dipper didn't fight against me, and sat his book down to return the embrace. I laid back, bringing him with me. Dipper sighed, nuzzling against my chest. He was quiet for a few moments. "I give you the cold shoulder a lot now, don't I...?" he said softly, that sad and regretful tone he had recently picked up making itself evident. I really didn't like when he spoke in that tone.

I rolled onto my side, and Dipper was forced to do the same. I brought up a hand to run through his hair. "It's no sweat, Pine Tree. You've got a lot on your mind. I probably shouldn't even try anything with you while your wounds still have yet to fully heal," I said soothingly, leaning forward. I kissed the top of his head, and his eyes fluttered shut.

"If they'd just fucking figure it out already. The investigation has been going on for two weeks and they haven't found any evidence against Gideon," he replied, coiling his arms around my torso. "There has to be something he left behind. A spot of blood, a fingerprint, anything." I nodded in understanding. He was right. There had to be a weak link in Gideon's plan. There was no such thing as a perfect crime, after all. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, clearly in deep thought. "There was... There was someone else there, too. I just don't know who," Dipper went on, closing the already rather small gap between us and nuzzling into my shirt.

I thought about it for a moment. "Well, they obviously put something in that soda of yours. Who gave it to you?" I asked, and a realization seemed to crash into Dipper. His fingernails tightened in my shirt, and he looked up at me.

"He had brown hair and jacket. He sounded pretty shaken up too. And the person who gave me the bottle..." His eyes widened. "I must have been so out of it I'd not even considered him in all of this." Dipper's expression was dire as he sprung upwards and darted towards the door. "Bill, you know where Henry lives, right?" he questioned, holding open the door. His eyes were wide and his hands shook. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I nodded. I should have known as much.

Music blared. Lights flashed. Neighbors in surrounding houses seemed to debate on whether or not to say something or simply call the police and complain about the noise. Neither Dipper nor I really cared, though. It was a party. A Christmas party, to be exact. But we weren't exactly there to join in on the festivities. I swung the door open, stepping in the large house and striding towards a group in the middle of all the chaos. Dipper followed directly behind me. I hadn't wanted him to, but he had insisted. I spotted the rich bastard we were looking for quickly, making my way towards him. "Oh, hey man. What's got your-"

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. I grinned sarcastically at him, getting in his face. "Nothing much. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to go on a little road trip with Pine Tree and I?" I questioned snidely, not minding the stares from people who had begun to take notice of the intense situation. Henry's eyes widened to almost inhuman amounts. I simply narrowed my own. "Not that you have much of a choice."

He blinked, smiling pathetically. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing seemed to come out correctly. Or at all, for that matter. He shook his head in an attempt to calm himself. "Seriously, dude. I think that kid's starting to get in your head," he rationed, flinching at the look in my eyes.

I raised a hand, balling it into a fist. "Bill. Unnecessary," I heard the cold voice of Dipper behind me and clenched my jaw. I lowered my trembling hand with a sneer at Henry's relieved expression. I shoved him towards the door a bit more roughly than Dipper probably approved of, but I didn't really care much as I ushered him out of his house and into the car. Dipper took his place in the passenger seat, eyes glued to the rearview mirror suspiciously and with more disdain than I had ever seen from him. "Where is it?" I demanded, placing my hands on the wheel and ignoring the small batch of people that had gathered outside to curiously watch the car start and then go.

Henry fidgeted, too scared to attempt getting out and too prideful to comply quite yet. "I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," he hissed, crossing his arms. I ground my teeth together impatiently.

"I'm not as nice as Pine Tree here. Don't fuck with me, alright?" I said, trying to contain my horrible desire to beat Henry half to death. Dipper said nothing, his gaze blank as he stared out the window.

Henry just looked down for a moment or two, a terrified and conflicted look in his eyes. When he looked back up, the desperation in them was almost choking, but I didn't give a damn. "I really didn't know, okay?! I just followed orders because Gideon had some dirt on me, and I didn't need it spreading around. I gave you the fucking... whatever it was. I didn't know about anything else until Gideon called me, I swear!" he exclaimed, chest heaving. Dipper began tapping lightly on the dashboard with his index finger, eyes viridian slits. Henry swallowed heavily. Well, hell. Dipper was scarier than I was, and both Henry and I knew that to be a fact. And all he had to do was glance at the nervous brunette through the mirror. "O-outside of town. Go.. Go straight until I tell you otherwise..."

Dipper smirked in satisfaction, and I did as I was told. The trip was fairly long, just less than an hour outside of Gravity Falls and pretty deep in some woods. Gideon really had wanted to cover up his tracks, huh? Henry pointed towards a metal door built into the ground. "Under that," he said, avoiding eye contact with Dipper, who was staring intensely at him and practically keeping him in place with his gaze. I leaned down and pulled at the handle, surprised to find that there was no lock and it swung open easily. Dipper grabbed my arm, looking down the hole. "Let me go first. And don't touch anything else when we go down there, alright?" he said blankly, a new focus in his eyes that I was unused to. This whole situation had me on edge, but he seemed calmer than ever. Maybe it was because he knew I was close to snapping the head off of the person we were trying to incriminate.

I nodded, allowing him to go down the steps ahead of me. I yanked Henry forward, shoving him behind Dipper. "I'm keeping an eye on you," I hissed, following him. Henry gulped, moving quickly downwards. I did the same, and when my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room we were in, my jaw dropped. The smell of old blood and some sort of chemical was overwhelming, and it was no wonder why. A chair in the middle of the room was absolutely soaked maroon. As was the floor, and even the walls, as if Dipper had been using them to keep himself standing at some point. Quite a few knives of various sizes and shapes were discarded on the ground, most of them encrusted in the red liquid and the other seemingly used to cut the ropes around his body. It had clearly nicked him a few times, though. Not that Gideon had cared, and that was a given.

Dipper took a deep breath, seemingly to keep his nerves under control. He was visibly trembling, but swatted me away when I reached out a hand. "This is the place, alright," he pointed out quietly, blandly. He pressed a hand against his chest, which was absolutely covered in marks no doubt left by the objects scattered about the floor. I closed my eyes to block out the image of his scars, freshly cut and bleeding onto the floor. Dipper screaming curses and Gideon laughing mockingly.

"Then we've won, right? His fingerprints should be all over these," I said after a moment or two, forcing the image out of my head.

Dipper shook his head. "No. Most of this..." He rubbed his cheek, where a cut had been, but had all but disappeared. "Is self inflicted..."

My eyes widened. But Dipper didn't give me any time to question him before he went on. "Gideon talks a big game, but he really doesn't like getting his hands dirty. Besides, mental torture's more his forte. And boy, is he good at it..." Dipper leaned down and picked up one of the knives, expression empty as he turned to face me. "After the first day, he untied my hand and put a knife in it. And I did whatever necessary to survive. Because Gideon had no intention of killing me unless I tried something brave. And very few of my wounds were inflicted by him," Dipper explained, eyes low. He dropped the weapon in his hand and it hit the floor with an almost bone chilling clang.

My mouth hung open for a few seconds. "Why didn't you just kill him when you had the chance?"

Dipper looked back up with a meek smile. "I would've loved to, but things were more complicated than that at the time, Bill..." He rubbed the black brace over his arm lightly. "And I don't really wanna talk about it anymore, okay?"

I was silent. Dipper's phone went off. He huffed, pulling it out of his pocket. A few moments passed. He glared at the screen, and I watched his expression slowly turn from annoyance to downright horror. He looked up at me, his pupils like pin pricks amongst the lovely green of his irises. "We need to get back to Gravity Falls. Now," he said urgently, a hand running through his bangs and very briefly exposing his birthmark. "Mabel's in a lot of trouble."

Both of us knew what that meant. My heart was racing and it felt as if my blood had begun to boil below the surface of my skin. "That's way too far. It'll take us an hour to get there!" I exclaimed, finding myself pacing back and forth nervously. Henry just watched, the situation only just beginning to sink in.

Dipper shook his head. "We've gotta do something! I'm so fucking tired of always needing saving and of never being able to help anyone! This time..." he snarled, letting his gaze fall on Henry. "This time I have a plan." He grabbed my arm, shoving me towards the wooden staircase. I took the hint and darted upwards, waiting extremely impatiently for the others to come up behind me. All three of us, even Henry, understood the seriousness of the situation, and we all made a break for my car as quickly as possible. I didn't even wait to know if all the doors were closed before I took off towards town. Thankfully, they were, but I don't think I would've cared. We sped towards Gravity Falls and made it there in half the time it would've taken had I followed the speed limit. I was sure we'd passed by some cops on the way, too. But they seemed too occupied with their game of flashlight tag to really notice us.

Dipper placed a hand on my arm. "Go to Gideon's house," he ordered. I nodded, deciding it was best to comply. Dipper knew what he was doing, after all. He'd dealt with Gideon more times than I had.

Though it didn't really make much sense for him to go out of his way to hide Dipper, then bring Mabel straight back to his own house without so much as a second thought.

I forced myself to ignore the dread that thought created in the pit of my stomach.

I stopped in front of a large white house, and unbuckled my seatbelt, but Dipper grabbing the sleeve of my shirt stopped me. "Take Henry to the police station. He's going to show them what he just showed us, aren't you?" he more so stated than asked, eyes blazing furiously. Henry nodded vigorously, too much of a coward to risk declining. I narrowed my eyes, about to question him, but Dipper had clearly caught on and stopped me. "I want you to get started scouring the town without me just in case she isn't here."

An obvious lie.

I really didn't want to leave him. Dipper had a plan, but Gideon obviously did as well. I closed my eyes for a few moments, letting out a shaky breath. "Alright. Just... Don't get yourself killed, okay?" I requested nervously, turning my gaze towards him. Dipper hummed, scoffing at my failed attempt at a joke. I watched him sift through my glove box for something before he pulled out a couple papers being held together very loosely by a paper clip. He pulled the paper clip off, grinning triumphantly to himself.

I tried to copy his expression, but it was difficult, to say the least.

He sucked in a breath. "Come back in a half an hour if I don't call you. Worse comes to worst, I'm gonna need you here to back me up," he said, closing the door. I gave a slight nod, backing out of Gideon's driveway and taking off towards the police station like I'd been told. Whatever Dipper had planned, it'd better be something really clever if he wanted even a shot at pulling this off.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-six**

 **(Dipper)**

I snuck my way around Gideon's house until I found a door that led into the basement. Grimacing, I leaned down and tugged at the handle. As I'd expected, it was locked. I dug into my pocket until I pulled out the paper clip I'd taken from Bill's car. I crouched down beside the door, unfolding the clip. I inserted it into the lock, fiddling around with it until I heard a small click. With a triumphant grin, I shoved it back down into my pocket and opened the door. So living with Stan did have perks. Fantastic. Quietly, I made my way down the stairs. Wary of my surroundings, I made my way through the nearly pitch black room. I let my eyes slowly adjust to the dimness, looking around to be sure I wasn't about to be ambushed.

I turned towards the wall on my opposite side to see a small blocked off and cage-like area. Inside, the figure of a person was visible. It was extremely difficult to see, but I knew it had to be Mabel. She was too sparkly not to be. She appeared to be sleeping, or at least passed out. Gideon must have drugged her as well. I thanked god she had at least realized it and texted me. Otherwise I never would have known. "Mabel," I whispered, stepping towards her. "Mabel, wake up." I stepped towards the bars, leaning down and reaching a hand through.

And then I stopped. My eyes widened. Footsteps. Clicking footsteps; almost like heels. I recognized the sound of Gideon's dress shoes tapping against the ground. I spun to face him, and did so just as he flipped the light switch on. He grinned condescendingly at me, a devious expression on his face. I grit my teeth, clenching my fists at my sides. The both of us just stared each other down for a while, completely silent. And then Gideon finally opened his mouth. "Why, hello there, friend."

 **(Bill)**

I parked my car on the edge of the street, stepping out and calling for Mabel. "Shooting Star!" I yelled, ignoring some strange looks I'd received from people I passed. Maybe it was unusual for a damn near fully grown man to run around frantically screaming for a star. Oh well. Regardless, I ran all the way across town, ignoring the icy cold wind against my hands and my face. I called and I called, not bothering to acknowledge the rawness of my throat. "Shooting Star!" I screamed towards the clouds, my voice echoing through the frozen air. I pressed my hands against my knees, panting heavily. All this running around had really started to take its toll on me.

"Mabel..." I ground out, mentally beating myself up for this entire situation. "What ifs" and "I should haves" swam in my head, and I closed my eyes. I had Mabel to thank for a lot of things. I owed her a lot, and I needed to find her, wherever Gideon had taken her. I ground my teeth together, forcing the thought that I knew exactly where she was away.

"What about Mabel?" I heard a sweet voice ask, and straightened back up. Pacifica, fully clad in a coat, ear muffs, and a scarf, stared back at me. She had a friendly expression on her face. She must not have known. I took a deep breath, grabbing her by the arm and leading her along. Pacifica let out a shocked, "Hey!" but didn't really complain.

I explained what was happening in between shouts for Mabel. "I've got a really bad feeling, Blondie. But I promised Pine Tree I wouldn't interfere with what he's up to for a while," I said breathlessly, tugging her every which way I went. Pacifica had a fearful and sympathetic expression on her face, and began calling out for her girlfriend as well. The both of us had to look insane to the people we passed by in town, but neither of us cared much as we continued yelling for someone that we knew in the back of our heads couldn't hear us. But we had to spend those thirty minutes somehow.

And that's when I realized even this had been calculated.

 **(Dipper)**

I narrowed my eyes towards Gideon. "I actually hadn't wanted to kill you, but you're really starting to get on my nerves, Pines," he hissed contemptuously, reaching a hand out towards a metal bat leaning against a small table and taking it. "When are you going to learn to just stay down?"

I grinned. "Probably about the same time you come up with some new, more interesting ideas," I replied snidely, eyeing the bat in his hand. "But hey, I'll make a deal with you. Knock me out this time and I guess that means you win. I won't bother you anymore."

Gideon laughed, shrugging. "You're going to regret saying that, boy. Because once I'm done with you, I'm out of this stupid hick town. With Mabel, of course. I'm sure you understand," he said with a chuckle, springing forward. I smirked, darting to the side and grabbing the other end of the bat. I just needed to keep him busy. I just needed to keep him right where he was for a few minutes. Still, that seemed a whole lot easier in theory than in practice when Gideon yanked the bat back, swinging blindly. I scowled, just barely moving out of the way of everything being sent my way. Gideon wasn't exactly physically capable by any means. If I could get just close enough to take the baseball bat from him then I knew I'd be able beat him. I ducked beneath yet another swing with an annoyed expression, standing up straighter and kicking at one of his legs to knock him backwards.

I reached out a hand and grabbed the end of the bat, which he held onto for dear life. I beamed. "I think I'll be taking this," I cooed, yanking it up and out of his hands. Gideon fell forward, nearly hitting his face on the concrete floor. I stepped out of his way, holding the bat over my shoulder. "Now..." I shoved it through the bars of Mabel's cell to be sure he didn't try using it again. "Let's see how this goes now." Gideon had a furious look in his eyes.

He rushed forward, catching me slightly off guard. I stumbled backwards, and felt the cold stone wall against my back. "When are you going to give up?" he growled in frustration, grappling for an advantage.

I shoved him away from me, grabbing him by the back of his neck and slamming him against the wall. Gideon sputtered as his forehead crashed against the concrete. "You've not had an edge in any of this, Gideon. You might've been pulling the strings before, but I'm here now. And I'm cutting them," I snarled, yanking him back to see the damage. It wasn't like I wanted him dead. Besides, prison sounded much more satisfying. Gideon narrowed his eyes at me. Blood spilled from a wound on his forehead, dripping down his nose and onto his clothing. I scoffed, banging his head into the wall again. And again. And probably a few more times than I should've. "I'm never going to let you hurt my sister. Ever again." I snarled, getting close enough to see the genuine fear spark in his eyes. Gideon's entire body shook violently with rage.

He pressed his hands against my arm, attempting vainly to tear my hand away from the back of his neck. I just watched him expressionlessly, incapable at even being amused by his pathetic efforts. But when he shot out one of his hands out to take my free and injured arm, I was honestly a bit caught off guard. On instinct, I jumped back, and he used the opportunity to turn and barrel into me. I staggered, falling to the ground with a loud thump. A few horribly long seconds passed. I groaned, feeling a dull throb against the back of my head forming. Gideon pressed a knee against my stomach to keep me on the ground. I hissed. His leg was digging into my ribs. "Who said I was going to hurt my poor, sweet Mabel?" he questioned with a dark expression, raising a fist in the air.

I reached upwards with a scoff, grabbing him by the hair and yanking him off of me. I didn't need to listen to anymore of this. I stood up, hovering over him menacingly. I pressed my heel against his throat before he had an opportunity to move, not enough to hurt him. Just enough to make breathing difficult and show him that I wasn't in the mood to play around. "You're never going to lay a hand on her again, Gideon. Do you even understand that? Or has it not set in quite yet where you're going?" I inquired, bearing down just a little bit harder. "A whole life wasted. All because you just didn't know when to quit." Gideon pressed his palms against my leg, pushing against me. I clicked my tongue, finding the realization in his eyes almost pitiable. I turned my head to look at the figure of my sister on the floor, who had stirred in the time it took me to knock Gideon to the ground.

"Mabel. We're going home," I said, digging the toe of my shoe into Gideon's throat when he attempted to make a sarcastic remark. "Wake up."

 **(Bill)**

I swallowed thickly. Thirty minutes and Dipper hadn't called me. I bit the inside of my cheek. I knew what this meant. "Hey, Blondie..." I said with an exhale, looking towards her. Her cheeks and nose were stained red from the cold, whereas the rest of her skin was rather pale. I knew it was wrong for me to drag her along, but I had really needed someone to help keep me from going insane in my searching.

She hummed. "Yeah?"

I stood up a little bit straighter. "How do you feel about going on a rescue mission?" I asked with a feigned smile, trying to look sure of myself.

Pacifica grinned, the determination shining brightly in her eyes. "I don't think I have much of a choice," she said good-naturedly. "I mean, we are future in-laws, right?" She had this look. This knowing and amused look, like she had utmost confidence in both her words and our ability to play our part in what Dipper had planned.

I reciprocated her expression. "Goddamn. We'd better be," I responded, taking off and leading her in the direction I had parked my car. I could hear her laughing behind me as she followed in my footsteps.

 **(Dipper)**

Mabel turned over in her sleep, her eyebrows creased together. She made a slight groaning sound, like a kid that didn't want to get up for school. I scoffed. "Mabe-" but I was cut off by something sharp being shoved into my ankle. I recoiled in shock, crying out in pain. I looked down. A shard of broken glass jutted out of my pantleg, which was beginning to turn a deep shade of red with my blood. I looked up. Gideon was back on his feet, his eyes cold and his hand bleeding where he'd picked up the glass. I scowled, stepping backwards. There was quite a bit of it discarded on the ground near Gideon. I'd have to keep that in mind, I supposed.

Gideon stepped towards me, one hand behind his back. I narrowed my eyes. Once he was close enough to me, he lurched forward, pulling his hand from behind his back to reveal the broken bottle he had picked up to use as a weapon. I grabbed his arm, holding it out so it didn't touch me. But he kept pushing against me, so much so until my back was against a wall. Under normal circumstances I already should have beaten Gideon, especially with the severe head wound I'd given him. But extreme anger and adrenaline could do crazy things, and that was pretty obvious looking at him right then. Gideon tried shoving the broken end of the bottle into my face, and I turned my head away from him, pushing right back.

"Nng... It's too early for- Dipper?!" Mabel shrieked as soon as reality kicked in. I grit my teeth together, not exactly in a convenient place to respond. I let one of my hands go down to rifle through my pocket. Gideon took that as an opportunity to swing his free arm out at me. I, on the other hand, used that as an opportunity to duck, letting go of his arm so he just ended up smashing the glass against the wall. I pulled the paper clip out of my pocket as I darted to the side, just barely avoiding a blow to the head. I tossed it towards Mabel, who caught it effortlessly. She looked at me in slight confusion for a moment before her eyes met the large padlock on her cell door.

Mabel nodded towards me, going to work on the lock while I shot out an arm to grab Gideon by the collar of his suit. I turned, shoving him back against the wall and holding him there at arms length from me. He struggled against my grip, and I tightened my hold on him. "Just give up already," I growled, more than a little annoyed by his stubbornness. Gideon scowled, kicking out a leg and crashing the heel of his shoe into the glass sticking out of my ankle. I gasped, stumbling backwards and hitting the ground. I hissed in pain, looking up. Gideon stood over me, a chaotic expression on his face.

"Anything to say for yourself, Pines?" he asked sarcastically, pressing his foot against my ankle. I hissed in pain, but smirked anyway.

I just shrugged. "Uhh... Can you wait for me to come up with a clever baseball pun?" I replied questioningly, leaning back on my hands and watching Gideon's face go from smug to confused to outraged in about zero point seven seconds. It was a rather amusing sight, to be completely honest.

"What are you pla-"

The baseball bat collided with the back of Gideon's head with a metallic clang and he was sent reeling. He fell onto his side, out cold. Mabel stood, holding the now dented metal bat out in front of her, hair a wild mess and a huge grin on her face. "That's what you get for messing with my brother! Twin power is win power! Whoooo!" she cried victoriously, her arms in the air and waving like a maniac. I stood up somewhat painfully on my newly injured leg, and high fived Mabel. "Bro. Bro. You are like... A total hero, you know that?" she pointed out, poking my shoulder joyously. I chuckled, leaning down to grab Gideon by his arms.

I checked his pulse, just to be sure. Mabel had hit him pretty hard. But he seemed to be breathing, just unconscious. Though if one thing was for certain, he was going to have quite the headache when he came to. "Well, I couldn't some let some guy take my sister away, could I?" I replied triumphantly, waving her towards me. She giggled, dropping the bat and grabbing Gideon's legs. She helped me get him into the cell and lie him down there. A plane ticket poked out of one of his pockets. Actually, two. I scoffed. Looks like any more time and I would've been too late. I stood back up and closed the door, picking up the padlock and latching it together. "Man, living with Grunkle Stan really does come in handy, doesn't it?" I joked, stretching out my arms.

Mabel held out her hand, the one with the unfolded paper clip in it, and grinned. "Yup!" she exclaimed, tossing it on the other end of the room. She then threw her arms around me, grinning cheerfully and doing a little victory dance with her hips. I chuckled, returning the hug. I was about to ask her if she was okay when she pressed her palms against my shoulders and pushed me towards the wall. "Sit. I'm gonna take a look at your leg, okay?" she asked, still beaming brilliantly. I nodded, doing as I was told without a complaint. She knelt down in front of me, reaching out a hand to very gingerly touch my ankle. I winced, but allowed her to do whatever she needed to.

She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to get a good angle on the glass to pull it out without cutting her hand. She settled with pressing her thumb and forefinger against the smooth, curved ends. Mabel looked up at me, as if asking permission, before she yanked the glass free. I yelped in pain, but forced myself not to squirm too much as she tossed the shard aside and pulled my pantleg up enough to see if there were any other pieces sticking out. She pulled out a couple more, then ran a hand along the skin as a test. "Gross. That was pretty deep, broseph," she muttered, pulling a pair of sewing scissors out of a pocket on her sweater. She cut off some of her sleeve, then wrapped it around my leg, her tongue poking out of her lips just barely in concentration.

I quirked an eyebrow. "I'll be fine. And anyway, why do you have scissors in your pocket?" I asked, feeling a shiver crawl up my spine when she tied the fabric tightly against my skin.

Mabel waved them in front of her face, a proud look in her eyes. "For fashion and brother emergencies!" she exclaimed, putting them away. I laughed, and she sat down beside me. All we needed to do then was wait. Someone was sure to show up eventually.

Or more specifically, Bill.

There were frantic footsteps, and Bill, followed by Pacifica, emerged from the basement door. "Pine Tree! You look like utter hell; what happened?" he questioned worriedly, leaning down at my side and tilting my head up to take a good look at me. He gave a sigh of relief. "Whatever. I'm just glad both of you are alright." He sat down beside me, examining me for any wounds. The only one he found was the gash on my leg. Pacifica seemed even more shaken up. She'd checked Mabel and I both for serious injuries, made sure our pupils weren't dilated, hugged both of us more than she probably ever had before, and picked any stray twigs from our hair. I complained the entire time, but Mabel accepted the extra attention with a smile, humming pleasantly the entire time. "Love, you look like you're higher than the moon. What did he give you?" Pacifica asked, staring into Mabel's eyes intently.

Mabel waved a hand dismissively, giving a slight shake of her head. "Who cares? Ain't nothing gonna keep Mabel down!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. She elbowed my side, and I tried to ignore the sharp pain against my ribs, which still had yet to fully heal. "You should've seen Dip over here! He was like pow! Pow pow pow! And then - and then Gideon was like bwoosh and he tried to cut his face up! But Dipper was like, 'don't touch my sister, sucka,' and he helped me get out! I was like, 'wooaaaah,' but then Gideon thought he was gonna win. And I was like, 'uh-uh,' and I went crash so he fell! And then we won."

Bill and I laughed, but Pacifica still more or less seemed unnerved by the fact that Mabel was extremely inebriated from whatever Gideon had given her. She frowned, giving a sigh in exasperation. I grinned, standing up. I could hear sirens in the distance. They were getting louder, no doubt coming towards us. Bill stood as well, gesturing for me to use him as a crutch. "You probably shouldn't be walking on that," he said, pointing down at my leg. I nodded, sliding an arm over his shoulders to keep myself steady. Mabel and Pacifica followed behind us.

The sirens drew closer, and I could see the lights flashing as they came ever nearer. The cars stopped, and a few cops stepped out to rush towards us. One of them darted for the basement immediately, but the other two approached us, already asking each of us questions about what happened. Gideon's father came out of the house, an arrantly confused look on his face. "What's going on, officers?" he asked. I scoffed. I could tell him a thing or two about what happened. But I kept my mouth shut, looking up and examining my surroundings.

In the back of one of the police cars I could see Henry, his head down and fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat.

 **(Bill)**

I stepped inside with a huff, ready to collapse. That was enough excitement for a lifetime. But at least Gideon was sure to spend the rest of his in a prison cell, and that in itself was undeniably satisfying. I turned into the living room. Mom was in the recliner, reading some old romance novel from the looks of it. Patch was curled up in her lap, purring pleasantly and tail lashing dreamily. "You were gone a while. Going on adventures with your friends again?" she asked politely, picking up the cup of coffee at her side and taking a sip. All the while, her eyes never left the page she was reading.

I chuckled. "You could say that," I responded, leaning over her shoulder like the nosy person I am. And then I immediately regretted that decision and straightened back up, an utterly horrified and embarrassed blush across my face. "What the hell are you reading?!"

Mom placed a bookmark between the pages and closed it. She giggled. "I'm still not quite sure how to approach the whole gay son thing," she mused, looking up at me with a smile.

I covered my face with my hands, shaking my head. "So you thought 'I'm gonna read a fucking novel about two guys going at it then everything will just fall into place'? What the actual fuck?! Jesus, now I have to bleach my eyes," I complained, trying to get that horrid image out of my head. I pointed at the book in her hands. "Seriously. Burn that."

I spun on my heel to walk away, but I was stopped by my mother's voice. "You know, for someone that looks so much like Matthew, you're absolutely nothing alike," she said.

I scoffed. "So Dad would've been totally cool with you reading about that?" I turned to face her yet again.

Mom shrugged, picking up her mug and holding it up to her lips yet again. "Probably not, but I doubt he would've said anything," she explained with a laugh. "He would've given me a look and walked away. You know, the 'I don't care as long as you're just reading it' look."

I shook my head. "Mom. Gross. Stop."

"Well, where do you think you came from?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

My shoulders stiffened. "Mom! I don't wanna think about that!" I exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes, picking up her book and waving it in the air. "Dear, you can't tell me you haven't done anything like that with-"

"STOP, DAMMIT!" My entire face flushed.

Mom just laughed, hands up in an arresting manner. "Alright, alright. I'm just trying to get under your skin," she teased. I twisted back around to walk away, horribly mortified from that entire conversation. "Hey, maybe I could tell you about your father sometime."

I froze, the serious undertones of the offer hitting me immediately. Almost twelve years of being compared to someone... It would feel nice to know something about the person I was being compared to. To feel the reality of the fact that I certainly wasn't my father, and he wasn't me by any stretch of the imagination. I turned my head back to look at my mother. "I'd uh..." I looked down for a moment.

"I'd like that."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

 **(Bill)**

"Pine Tree."

Dipper groaned, turning on his other side and pushing the blanket over his head.

"Wake up."

He didn't make another sound, but purposely adjusted himself in the blanket so I'd have to pry it from beneath him. I scoffed.

"Shooting Star's orders. I wasn't even supposed to let you sleep this long."

Dipper stayed silent. I rolled my eyes.

"Guess I'll just let her come wake you up."

Dipper shot upwards in his bed faster than I thought a person with cracked ribs possibly could. He hissed slightly in pain, but forgot about it moments later. "You're cruel," he grumbled, running a hand through his disheveled hair and glaring at me.

I chuckled, grabbing at his arm and tugging him upwards. "Not my fault you were up all night playing video games," I replied with a grin.

"It was your idea!"

I shrugged. "That sucks."

Dipper pouted. "You suck..." he muttered, stepping towards the door.

I followed after him with a snicker. "Only if you ask me nicely, Pine Tree."

Dipper's face flushed. "Bill, it's Christmas! Stop that!" He all but yelled, leading me downstairs with a mortified look on his face. He sat down beside the tree with a simper, not meeting the eyes of anyone in the room. Everyone else had already gathered in the living room and watched in amusement as I sat down a few feet away from him, beaming triumphantly. Well, except Stan. He just sipped on his third cup of coffee that morning in boredom, grumbling to himself about noise.

"You know, I've never actually bothered to do anything special for Christmas," I said after a few seconds, almost to myself. But Mabel seemed to hear me just fine.

"You've never celebrated Christmas?!" she shrieked, looking at me like I had commit some horrible, unforgivable crime.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Not that I can remember, no. Mom tried to get me into that a few times, but it wasn't really my thing. And anyway, I don't exactly believe in any of the weird background that goes with this holiday," I said with a shrug, watching Dipper start to pull presents out from underneath the tree, which had clearly been decorated by Mabel, and hand them to people. He held one out for me, and I took it with a somewhat confused glance. It had my name written on it in broad black sharpie, so there definitely was no mistake. I stared down at the box for a moment before looking back up at Mabel, who seemed shocked out of her mind.

"Oh my gosh! As the fun police, I am officially declaring this a fun-mergency! Pacifica!" she squealed, pointing towards her girlfriend, who raised an eyebrow in interest. "Get this boy some hot cocoa! Or some eggnog! Or some eggnog cocoa! Stat! Also, if you could get me a cup too, you'd be my favorite person in the world and I would love you forever. Pleeaaase?" Pacifica rolled her eyes, but stood up anyway, giving Mabel a salute before disappearing into the kitchen.

Mabel held up the present in her hands, eyeing it longingly. She grinned, squirming excitedly where she sat against the couch. I chuckled. "Is there any particular reason this holiday requires we sit on the floor anyway?" I questioned, watching Pacifica emerge once again from the kitchen, practically juggling three mugs in her arms. Mabel reached up and took the one she seemed to be having the most trouble with and thanked her politely for the drink. I took the one being held out to me with a casual roll of my eyes. They acted as if I'd never drank the stuff before.

Mabel let her eyes fall once more on me. "It's tradition, dummy! And we can't just make the old people sit on the floor! My abundance of Christmas spirit wouldn't allow it!" she explained with a wave of her free hand. My mother, who had been sitting on the couch talking to Ford, snorted in amusement.

"This one's a bundle of energy, isn't she?" she asked with a giggle, watching Mabel attempt to balance her unopened gift atop her head. "And dear, why'd you even insist I come? This seems more like a family thing, wouldn't you say?" She seemed almost guilty, as if she was invading and didn't really belong. Hey, look. Something we actually had in common. She'd get used to it though. I mean, I did...I think.

Mabel gasped, as if the answer was plain as day in front of us. "You absolutely had to come! Bill's family, so you're family! The more the merrier, right?" she responded with a proud nod of her head, her hands on her hips. She looked to Dipper for support and the box fell off of her head. She shot out her hands to catch it before it collided into the ground. Thankfully, the cup of hot chocolate Pacifica had given her was sitting safely on a table besides Stan's coffee mug.

Dipper smiled, ignoring his sister's exploits. "Yeah. No one deserves to be alone on Christmas," he said, glancing at me for a moment. I hummed my agreement, taking a sip of the cocoa Pacifica had made. Mom's eyes lit up like...well, a Christmas tree. She had this look on her face, this so obvious and readable look when her gaze landed on mine. Family? her eyes seemed to question, a hopeful glint in them. I huffed, rolling my own. I gave her a nod, and she grinned in delight.

"Except Gideon?" Pacifica asked with a raise of her brow, leaning back against the wall.

Mabel tilted her head from side to side, as if in deep thought. "Well, he's got a whole building of people to hang out with!" she exclaimed, flashing a bright smile.

Dipper seemed to restrain his laughter. "I don't think prison really counts, sis."

Mabel shrugged. "Eh," was all she managed in response.

Stan smacked his hands together, seemingly perking up from the drowsy and uninterested form he'd been in prior. Wonders what coffee could do, huh? Good thing, too. Mabel was horribly impatient in her wait for him to be awake enough to get things started. Earlier that morning, she had been rolling all over the floor screaming the lyrics to Jingle Bells in an effort to rouse him. But he was seemingly immune to her uh... charms, after all these years of living with her.

"Alright, kiddos. Who's up first?" he asked, taking the box Mabel held out towards him. And Mabel practically bounced up and down, screeching "me me me" pleadingly. The adults on the couch all laughed at her enthusiasm, and Ford gave her the okay to open her gift. Mabel shrieked in joy, ripping the decorative paper off the box mercilessly. She gasped, opening it up and pulling out a somewhat crudely stitched kitten doll.

She looked over at Pacifica with a huge grin. "Did you make this?" she asked, cheeks rosy.

Pacifica chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. She pulled off the bright pink gloves she had on and held out her hands. Her fingers were covered in little blue band-aids. "Heh heh.. Yeah. I decided to try my hand at knitting. I know it's like... nothing in comparison to the bracelet I gave you before. Sorry," she mumbled, averting her gaze from Mabel's. Her face was flushed in embarrassment.

Mabel shook her head. "Why? It's adorable!" she exclaimed, catching the blonde in a hug. Pacifica's eyes widened, and her face turned even redder. She returned the embrace with a laugh, a relieved look in her eyes. Mabel then insisted that Pacifica open her present, and the other nodded cheerfully, a smile wide across her face. She tore hers open much more carefully than Mabel had, but as soon as her gift was revealed, her expression went blank.

"Mabel, this is..." She pulled a small book out of the box. It was a lavender shade, with a matching ribbon tied around it to hold it closed. She sat the book down in her lap to stare at Mabel in awe. "That is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you." I glanced at the cover of the book. It was upside-down, but I was able to read it just fine. In Mabel's best cursive handwriting, it said 100 Reasons Why You're The Cutest with a doodle of Pacifica in the light blue dress she'd worn to the Halloween party on it.

Dipper covered his mouth with his hand, pretending to cough into it. "Setting you up with my sister," he very clearly said between his highly realistic hacking. Pacifica and Mabel both laughed, and the blonde waved a hand. "Alright. Second nicest," she conceded joyfully.

Mabel pointed towards me. "You. You're too quiet. I don't like it. Open your gift. Now. Go. Right now. This second," she demanded in as airy a manner as someone could while giving orders. I chuckled, picking up the box at my side and ripping it open. I tossed the sparkly paper aside, noting the fact that the floor had already become cluttered. I pulled the top of the box off, and I scoffed as soon as my eyes met the item within.

"Real shocker, this one," I commented, pulling a bright and very plush yellow sweater out of the box. A brick pattern was stitched into the bottom and there was even a tag sewn into the inside that read Mabel Incorporated! on it. A little unicorn design was drawn in fabric pen beside the 'brand name.' I chuckled. "Thanks, Shooting Star."

Dipper snorted, casting me an amused glance. "The first present Mabel gives anyone is always a sweater. It's almost a tradition at this point. Stan and Ford have one. Pacifica has a few. I have about thirty. And now you've got one. Congratulations," he retorted, nudging my side.

Mabel nodded vigorously. "Yep! I know you really hate the cold, so I thought it only made sense, right? And look, it's even yellow to make up for that tux Dip wouldn't let you wear a few months back," she explained, looking especially proud of herself.

Dipper shuddered at the memory. "Please never do that again," he hissed, glaring at me.

I chuckled, ruffling his bed head. "I totally pulled that off," I responded, watching the annoyance in his eyes increase.

He swatted my hand away. "The most attractive person on the planet couldn't have pulled that off," he said with a pouty look, frowning at me.

I scoffed. "How would you know, Pine Tree? You didn't even try it on," I commented proudly, earning a snort of laughter from Pacifica.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Smooth," he huffed, tugging at the paper taped over his gift until it started to pull away. He chuckled, ripping it. "It's obvious from your 'wrapping skills' that you've never celebrated Christmas," he pointed out. I gave a quiet hum, otherwise remaining silent to keep from giving the content of his gift away. Once it was open, his eyes seemed to light up. "How. The. Hell?" he breathed, looking back up at me with probably the most breathtaking grin I'd ever seen from him and holding up the autographed book that had been wrapped up.

I shrugged, laughing lightly at the way he seemed to be bouncing up and down in excitement. "Mom's almost as big a nerd as you are. I guess she met the author while she was living in Europe and got a bunch of his books signed," I explained, watching Dipper carefully remove the excess paper from the covers. He looked like he was over the moon, and it was kind of adorable. "It was pretty hard to get her to part with even one of them, but as soon as I told her about your dorky mystery novel collection, she couldn't really say no."

Dipper looked towards my mother for a moment, then back at me. "You are my favorite kind of person," he said, grinning like it was all he knew how to do.

I scoffed. "I'm well aware, Pine Tree," I responded teasingly. "And that's good. Because you're kiiiinda stuck with me at this point."

Pacifica and Mabel groaned, practically in unison, and started fawning all over each other to mimic the two teenage boys.

Mabel made stupid lovey dovey faces at the blonde. "Oh, you're so cute, Pine Tree. Let's make out in public," she crooned, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together.

Pacifica pretended to swoon, leaning onto Mabel. "Of course!" she exclaimed, making little kissing noises.

Dipper's face flushed. "We don't make out in public!" he said defensively.

I tilted my head to the side, casting my eyes away. "Eh... We've made out in public," I mumbled with a slight shrug.

"Not with people around..." Dipper croaked, shuffling where he sat.

I looked around the room. "Ehhhh..."

Dipper buried his face into his hands. "You're not helping," he grumbled as laughter erupted from the older people in the room.

I couldn't help but join in. "Love you," I cooed, grinning at him.

Dipper crossed his arms.

"Loooooove you~" I repeated in a sing-song tune, waiting for him to reply. He should've known me well enough by then to know I wouldn't stop until he said it back.

He sighed, picking up his cup of hot chocolate and taking a sip, as if he hadn't heard me.

I raised my brow. "Don't make me get up and sing it, because I'll dance. And you really don't want to see that," I remarked with a chuckle.

Dipper groaned. I moved to stand up, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back down with a horrified expression on his face.

"I love you too, okay? Jesus, have you always been this needy?"

I kissed his cheek. "Yep."

"You are so annoying."

"I know."

"And obnoxious."

"You love it."

Dipper rolled his eyes, holding the cup up to his lips, clearly in an effort to hide the smile on his face.

"I do," he admitted, taking a drink.


End file.
